Deliver Me From Evil
by LisaDawn75
Summary: Bella is hiding with her son in Forks where she meets Edward. Edward feels an unexplainable pull to her and her son while fighting the desire to drink her blood. And what happens when her ex comes to Forks seeking revenge for leaving him? AU, vampires
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:****Anna Russo has received a new identity and is on the run from her abusive ex-boyfriend with her young son in tow. She ends up in Forks, where she is now known as Bella Swan, and meets Edward Cullen. While she can't deny the unexplainable pull she feels toward him, she also can't shake off the feeling that he is not quite normal and not quite...human. Does she dare explore a new relationship with Edward while in fear for her life? Will Edward be able to put her safety first and stay away from the family he's always dreamed of having? And what will Bella's jilted ex do when he finally does catch up with her?**

**Sometimes, humans are monsters, too.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephenie Meyers does. I do, however, own Eric and Ethan.**

"Sickness and healing are in every heart; death and deliverance are in every hand."—Orson Scott Card

_How did I let our lives come to this? _Anna Russo thought, her eyes wildly searching for her three year old son, Ethan, while her arms reflexively attempted to defend her face from the impending blow. _How did I let this happen?_

She lay crumpled against the wall, spotting Ethan's legs underneath his bed. He was safely out of harm's way, so she turned her attention to her tormentor, the man she had once thought would be the love of her life, attempting to ward off another slap. She had met Dr. Eric Anderson at Memorial Hospital a year before where she had been working as a nurse and they had seemed to hit it off. She had been immediately attracted to his blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. She had been pulled in by his charming smile and quick wit. Unbeknownst to her, they would soon hit it off in an entirely different sense of the phrase.

Six months into their relationship, Eric had been found to be writing false prescriptions for certain clientele and himself and his medical license had been temporarily suspended pending a hearing with the medical board. This action had caused him to begin drinking heavily and Anna soon found out that he was not a pleasant drunk. The night the information had broken on the evening news was the first night he had jerked her head back and slammed her forehead into the kitchen wall, leaving her unconscious on the floor for an hour. When she came to, the only thing she could think of that had ignited his fury was that she had been thirty minutes late getting home from work. The night before his hearing with the medical board, she had been stepping out of the shower to find him on the other side of the door with a murderous look on his face; he then proceeded to choke her until her vision was peppered with black spots and her throat burned from lack of oxygen. When she clawed at his hands attempting to loosen his hold, he dropped her as if she disgusted him, and stormed out of the house. She did not lay eyes on him for three days. She never figured out what she had done to instigate his rage that night.

The first time he actually hit her, she had been setting the table for dinner, allowing Ethan to help. He had set a glass too close to the edge and it had slipped off and shattered against the hardwood, bringing Eric to the room to see what the commotion was about. When he saw the crystal glass in pieces, his fists clenched and he moved toward Ethan, but Anna had been quicker. She had grabbed her son and pushed him into the living room right before Eric's fist slammed against the side of her head, causing her to fall against the wall, smacking her temple against the doorjamb. The remainder of the night was blurry, but the resulting bruises were something she would never forget. When she told Eric the next day that she was leaving, he had whispered in her ear that if she ever left him, he would hunt her down and kill her, along with Ethan. She knew he was serious and that he had powerful connections so she had stayed, but only in body. Her heart had left him long ago.

The situation continued to spiral out of control. Eric's license had been suspended for three years and so he had taken to moping around the house. Most days he stayed drunk. Anna escaped to the hospital as much as she could, signing up for all the extra shifts they would allow her to work. She hated leaving Ethan at daycare so much, but she knew he was safer there than at home. Eric had never laid a hand on him…yet. She knew the day would come, however, and so she had been planning her escape ever since that first day he had slammed her head into the wall.

"I'm going out and this place better be fucking clean when I get back!" Eric shouted at her, his open palm raised, ready to strike, as if she would disagree.

"O-okay, it will be," she stammered, pulling her legs back and trying to make herself as small as possible.

He snarled at her then turned and stormed out of the door, leaving her to finally release the breath she had been holding. She heard his Lexus squeal out of the driveway and when she was sure he was not coming back, she stood up on shaky legs. It was now or never.

She had been to the bank a week before and emptied the account that Eric knew nothing about. Every paycheck, she had been putting back as much as she could, whatever he would not miss. She also had the small inheritance that she had received when her mother, Renee, had passed away from cancer last spring. Eric had not known about that either. All this she now retrieved from the small backpack she had hidden in her closet. She moved about the room quickly, throwing clothes and toiletries into a small rolling bag, and the few sentimental things she could not live without into the backpack. She then ran to Ethan's room, where he stared at her with wide brown eyes that were so much like hers, and began tossing his clothes into another bag.

"Baby, put some of your toys into your bag," she said, pointing to his backpack he carried to daycare. "We've got to go, now."

He quickly scooted off of the bed and began picking up his favorite toys. "Where we going?"

She stopped what she was doing and bent down to his level. "We're going away. I'm going to make it safe for us both." She hoped he would see the urgency in her eyes and not dawdle. She felt tears spring to her eyes when he laid a soft, chubby hand on her swollen cheek.

"Okay, mommy. I don't want 'Ric to hurt you anymore," he said, then wrapped his arms around her neck.

She sniffled, not wanting to cry in front of him, and also knowing she did not have time to spare. She had to get them to the airport. "Me either, baby. Now, we've got to go." She handed him his backpack and his favorite teddy bear, then grabbed their two suitcases and her backpack before shuffling him out the door to their car. She did not look back, leaving the door unlocked and sped off down the street. She flipped her phone open and called a number she had called once before.

"Hello?" the familiar male voice said.

"Hi," she stammered, adrenaline making her voice shaky. "This is Anna. Anna Russo. We spoke a couple of months ago. About some papers," she hinted.

"Ah, yes, Anna. I have them ready for you."

"Can I come pick them up?" She heard a pause on the other end.

"Anna, you know my rules. No face to face."

She was getting desperate. "Please! I need those IDs…now. This might be my only chance to get out of here and I can't get on that plane with my own name! He'll check flights!" She knew that once Eric arrived home and found that she had left him, he would track her. And it would be very easy for him to call the airlines, cook up some sob story that he was looking for his fiancée, and find out exactly where she landed.

ID man sighed. "Okay, okay, calm down. This is what I'll do. Stop at the Kangaroo Express gas station on Pulaski Road off I-295 on your way to the airport. Look for a green Ford Focus and in the front seat, there will be a manila envelope. Take it, it will have all of your stuff in it. Driver's license, birth certificate, social security card, credit card. And I got the stuff for the kid too and it's in there."

Anna breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much. How long?"

"I'll be there in 15 minutes."

She heard his phone click off and said a prayer of thanks. This was going to work. It had to, or she and her son would pay the price. She had been lucky to find this guy who did not ask questions but did good work. He had been recommended to her by a coworker who had guessed her secret and had quickly become a confidant. She had not had a difficult time explaining her bruises to most people as she was naturally clumsy, but one colleague had been very observant and basically told her she did not buy her stories. Rebecca was a nurse as well and had a sister who had gone into hiding from her husband after he had almost killed her. Rebecca had set her up with a new identity through ID man. Anna did not ask her how she knew about him and Rebecca had never volunteered the information. Anna did not think she wanted to know that information.

Rebecca had even went one step further and had found Anna and Ethan a place to go. She was to get on a plane to Seattle, Washington, then take a commuter to Port Angeles and from there, she would drive to Forks, Washington. Anna had done some research on Forks while at work and found it was a small town on the Olympic Peninsula where the sun rarely shined. It was surrounded by forests and streams and most likely, wild animals. The Pacific Ocean was close, however, and the town was small, with a population of approximately 3,000 people. She knew a large city would be a better place to blend in, but Rebecca had a brother who lived there, Charlie, and he was the chief of police, who would help her get settled. Plus, he knew why she was coming, and he was the police, so that made her feel a little better.

She found her exit and swiftly pulled into the parking lot of the Kangaroo Express, sliding to a stop beside an empty green Ford Focus. She left the engine idling as she jumped out and grabbed the manila envelope that held her entire new life inside. She would not look until she was inside the airport, however. She didn't want ID man to have to wait to go home. He had just literally saved her life and she felt like she owed him one.

She stopped at the Greyhound bus station and bought her and Ethan a ticket in their own names to Boston, then she hailed a taxi. She knew if she left her car at the airport, eventually, it would be spotted and Eric would know to check the airlines. He would report her missing and when she did not show up on any flight manifests, he might realize she was using a different name. She did not want him to even think that. Let him waste time searching the East coast for Anna Russo.

Once she and Ethan entered Jacksonville International Airport, she locked the door to the family restroom and dumped the contents of her new life onto the baby changing table. Staring up at her from her new driver's license was her face, but she was someone else. She shuffled through all of the documents and they all stated they same fact. She was no longer Anna Russo.

She was now Isabella Swan.

**A/N: Please let me know what you think, what you like, what you don't, what needs to be improved on. Constructive feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Twilight, Stephenie Meyers does. I do, however, own Eric and Ethan/Benjamin.**

Anna stared out at the cloud bank the plane was currently enshrouded in. She had no idea what state they were over, but she imagined that Ethan had passed out somewhere over Nevada. She knew it would be getting dark soon and she could not help but feel guilty because Chief Swan had volunteered to pick her up at the airport, even though her final flight would not be arriving until close to ten o'clock that night.

She tucked the blanket tighter around Ethan, brushing his soft brown locks back from his face. _Benjamin,_ she reminded herself. He was no longer Ethan Russo, but according to the birth certificate tucked safely into her backpack, he was Benjamin Swan, born on August 21st, mother listed as Isabella Swan, father…unknown. At least that was one thing that had not changed; Eric could not accuse her of kidnapping by any means, no matter how he spun it.

She leaned back into the seat, trying to get comfortable and closed her eyes, allowing herself to relax. _Isabella Swan…Isabella Swan._ _The name has a certain graceful cadence to it_, she thought, then suppressed a snort. Nothing about her could ever be described as graceful. She was certain that anyone who saw her walk down the street would think such a name bestowed upon her was a great cosmic joke. She would need to make it fit her to pull this off.

She thought about shortening it, going by a nickname instead. _Izzy_? She actually did allow a snort to escape at that thought. _Izzy Swan…now that's classy_. While she was used to drawing her fair share of laughs, she did not wish to be the laughingstock of Forks. _Hmmm. Isabella…Bella_? She rolled it around in her head some. _Bella Swan_. It had potential. She finally allowed herself to doze off with a satisfied smile on her bruised face, briefly wondering why her new last name matched the police chief's.

Bella, as she was determined to only think of herself now, stepped into the small terminal in Port Angeles, clutching Benjamin's hand tightly, while attempting to navigate with two suitcases. She tripped over nothing, but was able to right herself before she landed on the elderly lady walking in front of her. She felt the blood rush to her face, but distracted herself from her embarrassment by wondering how she would spot Charlie. She had never met him and during their brief phone conversation earlier, they had not discussed this aspect of the evening.

She did not worry long, however, as she spotted a tall man with thinning, curly dark hair in a police uniform heading toward her. _Oh please, don't let him be in his police car_, she desperately thought, picturing the mortification of being introduced to Forks by a driving tour via police cruiser.

"Ann—Isabella?" he asked. Rebecca had given him a description of her…and she appeared the battered victim of a domestic abuse situation. She was easy for him to spot.

"Just Bella," she greeted, then mentally kicked herself for sounding so rude. "You must be Charlie," she said, attempting to offer what smile her healing split lip would give.

He nodded, then looked at Benjamin. "And this must be…Benjamin, right?"

"I'm this many," Ben said shyly, holding up three fingers.

"And what a big boy you are," Charlie said to him with a smile. "Are you all set?" he asked Bella, then took the two suitcases from her. He had noticed her almost accident and did not wish to see a repeat. Plus, he was a gentleman, after all.

She nodded and followed him out of the small terminal, then groaned under her breath. She thought that fate must be having a laugh at her expense when Charlie opened the trunk of the Forks police car that was parked at the curb. Personal transportation was definitely first on her list of things to do.

"Um, I really do appreciate you coming all this way to pick me up," she said once they were speeding down the highway. It was dark, but she could almost make out the forest cloaking both sides of the road.

"No problem at all," he said, staring straight ahead.

Bella had never been an overly emotional person and so had never become comfortable expressing her emotions much, especially to complete strangers. She had the distinct impression that Charlie was the same. "Is there a hotel in Forks where we'll be able to stay?" she asked, wondering about accommodations until she could find a house or apartment to rent.

Charlie cleared his throat. "Um, no. We're not much of a tourist stop, and the one motel on the outskirts of town…trust me, you don't want to stay there."

Bella felt a sense of desperation come over her. Then Charlie spoke again.

"So I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of setting up my guest bedroom for you and the boy," he said gruffly.

She exhaled in relief. "No, Charlie, I don't mind. I don't really know how to thank you enough." She felt tears beginning to sting behind her eyes and forced them back. She had not cried all day and she refused to allow herself to do so now. There would be time for that after she was in bed.

He cleared his throat again. "Well, I didn't know if you would be comfortable staying at my house since you don't know me, but there really isn't much around here to rent. Most people here've been here a long time. And I don't have any family around here. Becca lives in Florida and I don't have any kids. She speaks very highly of you, you know. She actually cooked up this whole identity for you. You're my great-niece or something and you moved here because you were tired of big city life," he said, quickly changing the subject from his own lonely existence.

Bella smiled again. "That makes sense," she said. She had been wondering how to explain why her new last name matched the last name of the chief. "I'm really going to miss her. And she talks about you all the time, so I feel like I know you already."

He gave a satisfied grunt and she could tell the situation was settled. She and Ben would move into Charlie's house and live in his guestroom. Well, at least she'd be living with the chief of police so hopefully she would be able to sleep well, knowing she was safe. It felt as if it had been forever since she had been able to get a good night's sleep.

After about half an hour, Bella got her first look at Forks. Her first impression was _small_. She had always lived in large cities, growing up in Phoenix, then going to college in Atlanta, before moving to Jacksonville to be near her mother. But small could be good. Surely there was no way Eric would think to look for her here. A quick drive through town and they pulled into a driveway facing a small, two-story house with faded white siding. It certainly wasn't as opulent as Eric's townhouse had been, but she liked it. It looked cozy.

"Well, here we are," Charlie said before pulling their two suitcases out of the trunk.

She let Ben out of the back and looked around the dark yard. Trees were everywhere and she shivered in the cold. It was March and here, it felt like winter in Florida. Her and Ben's wardrobes were not suited for Northwestern weather; she would have to rectify that situation soon.

Charlie led them into the house and set her bags on the floor next to the bottom of the staircase. He hung his gun belt up on a set of pegs on the wall and Bella was happy to know they were too high for Ben to reach. Charlie quickly removed the bullets then stood there, looking uncomfortable.

"It's not much," he said, looking around self consciously.

She followed his gaze and took in the fireplace with the mantle that held pictures of Rebecca and her family and a girl that must be her sister that was in hiding. She then looked around at the mismatched furniture, the big flat-screen television, and the stuffed and mounted fish that were hanging on every square inch of wall available. Every where she looked, she saw some type of fish staring at her. If she was honest, it creeped her out a little. The room screamed _bachelor_ at her.

"Like to fish?" she asked with a small smile.

He shrugged, giving her a smile in return. "Yep."

She shook her head as he led them into the kitchen. While he would not blow anyone away with his oratorical fireworks, she already felt comfortable around him. She was not one to talk much either, so she felt they would get along just fine.

"You guys hungry?" he asked, opening cabinets. "There's not much here. I usually eat at the diner, but I can probably find something. Ben, you hungry?"

"No, mommy bought me a Happy Meal in Settle at the airport," Ben said, climbing up into one of the shabby kitchen chairs.

"Sea-attle," Bella corrected him with a smile. "We're fine, Charlie, thanks." She looked around the kitchen, with its pale yellow cabinets, Formica countertops, and outdated gas range. The whole kitchen was outdated, but again, it felt comfortable. There was no dishwasher, but she did not mind. After all she had been through, she looked forward to the simple tasks of everyday life. "You don't cook?"

Charlie shook his head, a horrified expression on his face. "Well, I can, but no one would want to eat it. My culinary talents stop at frozen pizza."

Suddenly, Bella felt a warm feeling blossom in her chest and allowed a small smile to spread across her face. "I'll make you a deal," she said, laughing at the wary look that crossed his face. "We're not going to just stay here and take advantage of your hospitality, but we will rent a room from you and do our fair share."

Charlie shook his head again. "I don't want your money, Bella. That's not why I'm doing this." He looked at Ben who was sitting at the table, swinging his feet and driving the salt and pepper shakers around like race cars.

"I know," she said quietly. "But I'm not just going to be your houseguest either. Okay, fine," she said with a deep breath. "No rent, but I'll take care of the cooking, the cleaning, and the shopping. And I w_ill_ pay half of the utilities and food," she added with a glare when he opened his mouth to argue.

Charlie could sense that paying her own way was very important to her and he could understand that, considering that she had basically been treated like property for the last year. He absolutely refused to take her money to stay here, but he would agree to this. He knew she needed to make her own contribution, but he was just so happy to actually have some company in the house, he would have been willing to pay it all. When his sister had called him to ask for his help and told him Bella's story, he had known instantly that he would help her. His other sister had been through the same situation and he had hosted her and his niece for a few months until they were ready to move on. After they had left, the house had been too quiet. Charlie had always enjoyed his solitude and he would never admit that he was lonely to anyone, but the chance to have his house occupied again was more than he could pass up. And the fact that she would be bringing Ben along was just icing on the proverbial cake. He could not wait to teach Ben how to fish, to take him to La Push, to teach him about the forest, and watch the Mariners on the flat screen with him. He had missed out on his own opportunity to have children, and in turn, grandchildren, so he resolved to enjoy their company as long as they stayed.

"That sounds fair," he agreed. The idea of home cooked meals made his mouth water. Eating out every night got tiresome.

She smiled again at the thought of actually getting her way. "Good. Now, this little one needs to get to bed. He slept on the plane, but he's had a really rough day."

Charlie nodded and led them to the stairs, picking up their luggage again. He missed the look of apprehension Bella cast at the staircase, but he heard her following him dutifully. He opened the door directly to the left of the landing.

He cleared his throat again when he turned on the light. "I cleaned it up for you. I hope you don't mind, but I went ahead and got some stuff for you and the boy." He ruffled Ben's hair when he said this and Ben giggled.

He liked his new nickname.

Bella gasped. It was not anything fancy. A twin bed was set up against the adjacent wall and a dresser with a non-matching chest was against the far wall on either side of the window. An old rocking chair was in the corner, but what made her heart catch in her throat was the new toddler bed with baseball sheets pushed against her bed. "Th-thank you," she whispered.

"It's not much," he replied gruffly, scuffing his foot across the floor, not looking at her.

Bella hated sharing her emotions, but she knew she had to in this moment. After today, they could settle into a comfortable routine of sticking with small talk, but today, she had to let him know how much she appreciated everything he had done. "It's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. I-I couldn't have done this without you, Charlie. Thank you so much," she whispered, looking up at him.

Charlie was embarrassed but pleased by her praise. He had known she had been used to living in much more elegant accommodations with her doctor boyfriend, so he didn't know if she would be disappointed by his house or not, but she seemed genuinely happy. He smiled at her and ruffled her hair, like he had done with Ben earlier. "You're welcome, kid. Now, the bathroom is just around the corner. I've cleared some shelves off for you. I'm gonna get to bed, early day tomorrow, but just holler if you need anything," he said, getting back to business. He had had enough mushy stuff to last him quite a while.

"Good night," she and Ben replied together, causing Ben to giggle. Once Charlie shut her door, she sat down on her new bed and looked around, taking a deep breath. She had done it. She was free from Eric and his over-possessive tendencies, free from his anger, free from his overbearing personality. She liked it here. She liked Charlie. One of the best things about Charlie…he certainly didn't hover.

**A/N: Thanks for reading and for all of the story alerts I've received! Edward makes his debut in the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I own nothing related to Twilight. I do own Eric and Benjamin (previously known as Ethan).**

_Oh my god, he is fucking gorgeous…_

_Oh, crap! Did he just look at me?_

_Mmmm…what I could do with him and some handcuffs and a can of whipped cream!_

_Ooo, I sure would lick his—!_

Edward Cullen hurriedly turned on his heel and sped as quickly as he dared to still pass as human down the opposite hallway. He had become almost immune to the sordid thoughts of the female nurses who worked at Forks Community Hospital and even, to Emmett's utter hilarity, a few of the males. But there were times, such as now, that certain thoughts were able to seep through the filters he had worked so hard to construct and entered into his conscious; these were the thoughts that generally made him run in the opposite direction.

A century ago, when he first realized that he was able to hear other people's thoughts, he tried everything he could imagine to drown them out. He stuffed his ears with cotton, he recited the Presidents of the United States forward and backward, and he sung the _Battle Hymn of the Republic_ under his breath in both English and French. What he discovered was that he was able to do all of the above plus focus on the thoughts bombarding him from all directions. He eventually learned to embrace his gift, then decided to use it to his advantage, and recently started working on blocking it at will.

Having heard others' thoughts for the past century had pushed him toward his chosen career path and was also the reason he was currently hiding in the linen closet in Forks Community Hospital. Some big, badass he was, but some of those women looked as if they could bite _him._

Dr. Edward Cullen was a resident psychiatrist who worked alongside his father, Carlisle Cullen, at the little hospital in Forks. The city commission and hospital board thought they had hit the jackpot when Dr. Carlisle Cullen had approached them several years before requesting a staff position. The idea of an established and successful surgeon right there in Forks was a dream come true. Then, when Carlisle had informed them that his son, Edward, a child prodigy—his explanation for why Edward was graduating medical school at age twenty-three—was graduating from medical school with a specialty in psychiatry and also wished to work in Forks, the mayor wondered if his luck would hold out long enough to buy a lottery ticket.

Edward had heard enough sick thoughts over his years to know that there was a desperate public need for psychiatric help and he knew that with his unique gift, he would excel. What other physician could literally get into their patients' heads and dig through their thoughts to find the exact problem? What other shrink could honestly decide if a patient was truly insane or if he knocked off a convenience store because he needed drug money? As far as he was concerned, this was how he would use his gift, or curse—however one wished to view it—to do some good in the world.

Of course, nothing was ever that simple. Edward dreamed of becoming a surgeon, like Carlisle. He wanted to save lives as a penance for the ones he had taken early in his existence. He wished to heal and not destroy. Unfortunately, there was the small problem of his vampirism standing in the way of that dream. Carlisle had worked for centuries to suppress his bloodlust so that now, the smell of human blood when he was in the emergency room or the operating room did not bother him more than it would any other human. For Edward, it was getting easier, but he still had to fight to suppress the monster that lay within. It would lay dormant for days, then an accident victim or a ruptured spleen would come in and he would feel the burn at the back of his throat, the desire to drink deeply from those pulsing vessels.

So, until he could ensure he would not kill any of his patients, he had to content himself with healing their minds….and attempt to desensitize himself to the smell of human blood in the process, hence the reason he came to the hospital every day. He remembered the conversation he and his brother, Emmett, had a few days prior about his questionable sanity.

"_Dude, you're the one whose nuts! Why would you want to put yourself through that every day?" Emmett asked, tracking the grizzly bear with his eyes, leaning into the perfect crouch to spring._

_Edward sighed. "Em, I told you. I want to be a physician, like Carlisle. I want to be able to help people and I can't do that until I can be sure I can be around human blood without going apeshit." He stared at the mountain lion that was sleeping in the tree, completely unaware that it was about to become lunch._

"_Yeah, but Carlisle's like, a friggin' saint! I mean, what happens when you slip up and kill someone?" Emmett asked before he sprung, landing on the bear and wrestling it to the ground before sinking his teeth through the thick fur and gulping huge mouthfuls of the warm, sticky blood._

"_Shut up, Emmett," Edward growled, causing the mountain lion to wake and leap to the ground, seeing Emmett and thinking food had come easily today. Edward sailed down from his perch and cleanly ripped through the skin and sinew, feeling the satisfaction one feels after the first bite of a delicious meal._

_Emmett stopped drinking and looked up. "Hey, I'm just saying. It happens."_

_Edward shook his head. "I won't let it happen to me."_

_Emmett just looked at him and rolled his eyes before digging back into his meal._

Edward brought his attention back to the present and listened for any thoughts floating around outside of the linen closet that involved him in a compromising position, unclothed. The coast was clear.

***

"What're you up to today?" Charlie asked Bella on her first morning in Forks. She was searching the cabinets for some coffee and something to feed Ben for breakfast.

"Well, first on the list is wheels. Second is to actually get some food in this house. Any recommendations on local car lots?" she asked, finding a faded box of cherry Pop Tarts and hoping they were still edible.

Charlie scratched the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable. "Well, Bells, I've sort of already got you a…vehicle."

She turned slowly to look at him. "You what?" She thought she had made it clear last night that she would pay her own way.

He held his hands up in mock surrender. "I just went ahead and got it so you would have something to drive today. If you don't like it, I'll keep it. I can pull the boat with it."

Her eyes narrowed at this. _Vehicle?_ Something in his voice and the way he would not look her in the eye put a feeling of dread in her stomach. What the hell type of _vehicle_ did he get? "What is it?" she asked warily.

"Um, well, it's really solid and it was cheap! I didn't think you'd want to spend a lot of money on something," Charlie said quickly, eyes shifting all over the kitchen.

"Where. Is. It?" she asked, emphasizing each word. She was almost afraid to know at this point.

Charlie sighed. "It's out front. My friend, Billy Black, dropped it off yesterday. I bought it from him."

Bella dragged her feet to the front door, slowly turning the knob, drawing out the time before she had to pretend to be excited. She hated to hurt Charlie's feelings, but she needed a dependable car to get to work and to get Ben to daycare, not some scrap heap that had been slowly rotting in someone's backyard for decades. She slowly pulled the door open.

Sitting in the driveway was an old—no, ancient—truck. It was one of those old trucks that one saw in nostalgic paintings of days gone by with the rounded fenders and the grandpa-like man in the driver's seat, complete with overalls. It used to be red, but now it was a reddish-pink color and Bella found that she actually loved it. She ran out the door and went sprawling on the front lawn, tripping over a tuft of grass that was sticking up.

"Shit," she mumbled, hoping no one had seen that. Of course, no such luck.

"Are you okay?" Charlie asked her, helping her stand.

"Yeah," she replied, trying to wipe the mud from her hands. "I'm not the most coordinated person you'll ever see."

He gave her a wary look, wondering how many trips to the ER he might have to make while she was here, but he was encouraged by her response to the truck. "So, what do you think?"

She had reached the truck and pulled the door open, seeing the faded gray interior with the huge steering wheel, old AM radio, and duct tape-repaired bench seat. "I love it," she said, surprise evident in her voice. "I think Ben and I will actually be safer in this than anything else I can imagine," she said, picturing herself demolishing the unsuspecting town of Forks with her new tank. She shuddered.

Charlie was grinning, glad she liked it. He really didn't need another truck to pull the boat with but if she had hated it, he would never have told her that. "Well, all right then, I'm off to the station," he said, heading toward his police cruiser. He waved at Ben who was standing on the front porch in his Toy Story pajamas and flashed the lights quickly to make him laugh.

Ben waved so enthusiastically, he slipped off the top step, sitting down hard on his bottom, making him giggle even harder. "Bye, Charlie!" he called.

Bella pushed him back inside the house to get him ready for his first day at daycare. She stared at her reflection in the mirror hanging over the fireplace while Ben went back to his breakfast. She did not recognize the woman staring back at her.

Bella knew she was not beautiful as Eric had pointed that out frequently. She ran a hand through her thick, dark brown hair which hung to her mid-back before pulling it into a ponytail. Her skin was pale, translucent even, the bruise on her left cheek a huge purple blemish, her healing split lip swollen with dried blood crusting the edges. Her large brown eyes stared back at her; she was encouraged to see that there was a sparkle returning to replace the dull, defeated look they had held for so long.

She parked Ben in front of the television to watch cartoons while she took a shower. The hot water loosened her tight muscles and soothed the sore places on her body. The familiar smell of her strawberry shampoo relaxed her racing mind. _Thank God for Charlie,_ she thought. He had taken one huge task off of her for the day, so she could focus on becoming the newest inhabitant of Forks.

***

Bella had been to the hospital a few days after enrolling Ben in daycare and had been hired immediately to work day shift in the emergency department. She had waited a few days after arriving to allow her bruises to fade enough to be covered by makeup. She did not think she would make a very positive impression upon the hospital if she appeared bruised and battered. Forks Community Hospital had a nursing shortage, just as hospitals did nationwide, so they had been overjoyed to see her come in ready to accept whatever they had.

The last week had been spent learning the system of the ER. Bella would laugh quietly whenever someone apologized to her for there being no excitement. She figured that since she had come from a large metropolitan hospital, the good people of Forks thought she was expecting exciting traumas and strange medical problems to be seen in that small hospital. Bella kept explaining she was tired of excitement and she was more than happy to just treat the little old lady who sprained her ankle while gardening or the little boy who stuck a pebble up his nose that his mother could not remove. What she would not tell them is she did not imagine anything exciting could even happen in Forks, which was a-okay with her.

Bella sighed and rolled her head around, stretching her neck. She had been on duty in the emergency room at Forks Community Hospital for the last six hours and her head hurt. The past week had been physically and emotionally draining. She always hated starting a new job, having to get to know new people, and having to pretend everything was wonderful. She was not exactly Sally Sunshine.

"Bella! We need you, bed seven!" Jessica Stanley, another nurse shouted at her, breaking her from her reverie.

***

Edward felt his pager vibrate and looked at the small display. _ER, 911._ He set off at a brisk pace toward the emergency department wondering what type of psychiatric emergency they had for him this time. The closer he got, the more jumbled the thoughts inside were. He pushed the double doors open and that was when his carefully constructed paradigm shifted and his human world came to a screeching stop.

_Oh my god, oh my god, ohmygodohmygodshitshitshitshitshit…_

The back of his throat was suddenly on fire, the venom pooled in his mouth, his vision clouded with red. He could feel his lips pulling back from his teeth, preparing to bite.

_NO!!!_

He pushed the demon back down, long enough to allow his brain to assess the situation. A group of people were gathered around bed seven and he could hear the patient, a male, screaming at the top of his lungs.

_It must be him, it must be his blood,_ Edward thought hungrily as he had never smelled this particular scent before—that glorious, wonderful, delicious scent. He closed his eyes and could almost taste the hot, sweet blood sliding down his throat, could almost hear the tendons and ligaments severing as his razor sharp teeth sliced through skin…

"Dr. Cullen?" a vague voice called to him, as if far down a tunnel. "Dr. Cullen?"

Edward wrenched his eyes open, knowing they were obsidian by now, wondering if they were beginning to turn red just from his thoughts, and stared at the ER tech looking at him. Edward thought his name was Victor. He just nodded as he didn't trust himself to speak.

"Um, they needed you for bed seven. Some crazy guy, came in screaming that aliens were coming out of his fridge and were gonna drag him back inside with them to their planet. You okay?" Victor explained all this quickly, obviously having no respect for the mentally unstable Bed Seven.

_I could break his neck in half a second, he'd never know what hit him. Could be to the group before he hit the floor. They wouldn't have a clue what happened. Could kill them all quickly then DRINK…_

Edward shook his head violently, attempting to dispel the thoughts and plans racing through his mind. He risked a glance at Victor's innocent face. He was just a kid.

_No, tough it out a little longer. Take the patient to your office. Tell them he committed suicide. No one would ever know…_

He looked at the group of people surrounding the crazed man who was attempting to break through the multitude of arms holding him down, continuing to scream that he couldn't survive anal probing.

"Dr. Cullen?" Victor asked again.

_What the fuck is wrong with you? Emmett was right and he'll never let you live this down. How would you explain all the dead bodies, how would you explain your crimson eyes? 'Don't be scared, Mr. CEO, but he just smelled so good and I just couldn't help it, I had to drink his blood, but it's okay, I put it down as a lunch break?'_ Edward admonished himself, the absurdity of his explanation bringing his mind back into the human world enough to recover slightly. He had to get out of here before he killed the entire ER workforce.

"Dr. Cullen!" Victor shouted this time and his shout caused one of the nurses to turn to look at what was occurring behind the tormented Bed Seven.

Edward's eyes met her deep chocolate ones and he heard her gasp and her heart begin to race. Whether it was in shock or fear, he did not know and at this exact moment, he could not risk sticking around to find out. "Ativan, one milligram, IV, now. Admit him to pysch. I'll see him there," he clipped out, not daring to breathe. He held his hand out for the chart, quickly scribbled the orders and all but threw the chart back at a shocked Victor.

Everyone in the ER did not know whether to stare at the possible alien abductee or at the fleeing back of Dr. Edward Cullen.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine…Eric and Ben (Ethan) are.**

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has left a review…your feedback and kind words encourage me to write faster. I have tried to respond to everyone who has left a review. If I missed you, I apologize, it was not intentional!**

Bella quietly changed out of her scrubs, unable to pull her thoughts away from the strange incident that had occurred earlier. After Victor had recovered enough to process the order that had literally been thrown at him, she and Jessica had managed to sedate the crazed patient in bed seven and transfer him to the psychiatric ward of the hospital. "Who was that?" Bella asked Jessica quietly. "The doctor that ran out earlier?"

Jessica laughed, making Bella feel she was missing a punch line. "Oh, that was Dr. Edward Cullen of the infamous Cullen bunch."

"Should I know what that means?" she asked with a small laugh.

Jessica giggled. "Sorry, I keep forgetting you're new. The Cullens moved here from somewhere, like, Alaska, a few years ago. Dr. Cullen and his wife adopted all of these teenagers about ten years ago and they all still live together. And they're all _together _together," she divulged, scandal written all over her face. "It's so weird. Alice is short and little and she's _really_ weird. She's some fashion designer who mostly works out of their house and she's with Jasper who writes some type of self-help books on getting in touch with your emotions or some crap like that. Emmett's the big one and he's with Rosalie who's blonde and really pretty. She's done a couple of modeling jobs, and he's a sports writer. Emmett works from home too, obviously. And then Edward, he's a psychiatrist who works here with Carlisle. He's totally gorgeous, of course, but don't go getting any ideas. Apparently, no one in this town is good enough for him," she said with a nervous laugh.

Bella immediately knew that Edward Cullen had turned her down in the past.

"They're not that strange," Angela Weber, another nurse who worked in the ER with them, stated. "Lots of people are able to work at home now with the internet."

Bella smiled at Angela; she liked her. Angela was quiet and seemed genuinely nice, whereas Jessica came across as someone who wanted to be your friend only if it benefited her.

"We all think he's gay, actually," Jessica spluttered out, causing Bella to burst out laughing.

"Oh come on! Seriously?" she asked, loud giggles bubbling up from her chest. It felt good to laugh, even if it was at poor Jessica's expense.

Jessica shot her a dirty look. "Yeah, well, why else would a rich, good-looking doctor turn down every female in this hospital? Half of them would be happy with a quick screw in the on-call room anyway, just to say they've had him. How many straight guys do you know that would turn down no-attachment sex?"

Angela rolled her eyes. "For Heaven's sake, Jess. Don't be so crude."

Bella attempted to control her laughter, not wanting to upset Jessica further. "Maybe he just wants to focus on his career," she said, trying to keep a straight face. "I've seen a lot of residents who were either so wrapped up in their jobs or so exhausted after working seventy-two hours straight that sex was the furthest thing from their minds."

"Yeah, well, maybe that's it, but I'm still going with gay."

Bella was still laughing quietly as she made her way through the employee parking lot to her truck. She glanced up at the gray blanket covering the sky and wondered if she would ever see the sun again. She had not seen actual sunshine since she left Jacksonville. She unlocked her door, vaguely wondering how long one could go without sunlight before suffering a Vitamin D deficiency. She made a mental note to add an extra glass of milk to her daily diet.

She carefully drove out of the wet parking lot, not wanting to plow over any of the newer and, most likely, less durable cars; she was sure a few of them cost more than Charlie's house. As she drove past the picnic area, she spotted Edward Cullen sitting on a table, his head in his hands. Beside him sat a blonde-haired man with his arm across Edward's shoulders in a comforting gesture. Bella knew this other man was Dr. Carlisle Cullen; she had met him a few days prior. Both men looked up at her as she drove by and she knew it was because her truck's engine was only a few decibels lower than an F-18 jet. She quickly turned onto the highway to head toward the daycare. She wanted to give them some quiet but also she wanted to get away from the intense gaze of Dr. Edward Cullen. In the brief instant their eyes had met, she felt as if he had just burned a hole right through her.

***

"Edward, it happens to us all. You did the right thing by getting out of there," Carlisle murmured to Edward so quickly and quietly that no human sitting next to them would have been able to hear.

"It's never happened to you," Edward retorted, running his hands through his hair.

Carlisle sighed. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You are what you are, and you are doing a remarkable job. None of us are perfect."

"I almost killed an entire room of people," he moaned. "But the scent, it was…exceptional. It was the most delicious and intoxicating scent I've ever smelled in my existence. I-I didn't think I was going to be able to stop. I still don't know if I'll be able to abstain," he whispered, hating himself for what he was still thinking to do.

"A singer," Carlisle said softly. "They don't come along very often, but when they do, it is a remarkable thing."

Edward finally met his eyes. "Has it ever happened to you?"

Carlisle shook his head. "No, it hasn't. But I've heard of it occurring with others."

"What usually happens?"

The look on Carlisle's face spoke more than words could ever say. Edward groaned.

"Shit," he whispered. "If I just up and leave, we'll blow our cover. If I…can't handle it, we'll have no choice but to leave. I don't want to ruin everything you've built for us here."

"Edward, everyone in our family has been in your place. We've all made sacrifices for each other. I have faith in you, son. But no matter what happens, we all love you," Carlisle said, squeezing his shoulder and leaving him alone with his thoughts.

_What do I do? Can I handle it? What if I can't and I take out innocent lives?_

Edward continued to torment himself with different scenarios until he felt his pager buzz. The psychiatric ward needed him.

***

Bella pushed the cart down the grocery aisles, attempting to distract herself with the mundane task. Ben was chattering away about the Batman mask he had made during arts and crafts, but she barely heard him. All she could see were _his_ _eyes_. His gaze had been liquid fire and she felt as if she had been burned to her very soul. It was as if he had seared himself into her mind with that one look; she had not been able to stop thinking about him. What scared her the most was she did not know if she wanted to.

She picked out the items needed for spaghetti and grabbed another gallon of milk, remembering her resolution in the parking lot. She hoped Charlie liked spaghetti. Dinnertime with Eric had always been a volatile affair.

Bella enjoyed cooking, and she was good at it. However, she never knew how Eric would react to the meals she prepared. One day, he might compliment her and be all lovey-dovey; the next, he might throw his plate against the wall asking her how she thought he could eat that shit. It did not matter if it was the exact same meal prepared in the exact same way. If she was consistent with their dinner plans, he became angry because there was no variety; if she tried different ideas, he would become violent because he was not a fucking guinea pig. She never knew what to expect.

Charlie was easy to please and so she had rediscovered the simple joys of cooking. She also appreciated the fact that he would try whatever she fixed, even if he had never eaten it before. He would just smile and tell her that he was a cop, and adventure was what he lived for.

And he never failed to compliment her cooking.

She woodenly made her purchases and drove back home, suddenly realizing she was parked in front of the house. She did not remember the drive as her mind had been filled with two burning, dark amber eyes staring at her. She vaguely wondered how she had been able to see the color from that distance.

_Snap out of it,_ she ordered herself while she unpacked her things. _Focus._ While she enjoyed the process of cooking, she was also not afraid to admit that placing herself anywhere near sharp objects and an open flame could result in disastrous consequences so she knew she had to use all of her concentration on the task at hand. She was tired – the stress of her escape and new job catching up with her, not to mention that the rain and wind swishing against the windows every night had kept her from falling into a deep sleep. To make matters worse, Ben had been waking up every night around two o'clock, screaming with night terrors. She knew that the abuse she suffered at Eric's hands had affected him, along with their cross-country deliverance from the evil that had been her significant other. During the day, one would never know the child had been through a traumatic experience, but at night… She rubbed her eyes, determined to focus on the task at hand.

She carefully began chopping the onion and briefly wondered if Dr. Carlisle Cullen was good at limb reattachment.

***

Edward quietly slipped into the room and shut the door behind him, not daring to breathe. He heard the automatic lock click into place before he turned to face the patient who was lying on the bed, asleep. He listened again for any thoughts in the hallway, but all of the nurses were at the nurses' station, discussing the latest episode of _American Idol._ He had a few minutes.

That was all he needed.

After Carlisle had left him, he had come to a decision. He would visit the singer as an experiment. He wanted to know if he could resist the call of his blood; Edward thought he could handle the siren song of the viscous fluid pumping through the man's veins if he was better prepared. His earlier response had been triggered by surprise, that was all. And so, here he was.

If he could not resist, the door was locked and he would make quick work of the man. A scalpel was in his pocket, ready to put into the man's hand after slicing his throat in order to stage a suicide attempt. Edward would then "discover" his patient, sign off on the death certificate, and transport the body to the morgue himself. There, it would accidentally get lost. The family would be compensated for the mistake, and he would take responsibility, but his family would not have to move.

He prayed he would not have to put his plan into action. Then again, he did not believe a divine God would answer the pleas of a vampire condemned to Hell, either. What a quandary.

Edward silently walked over to the man who was tied down to the bed with four-point restraints. The Ativan had done its job and he was oblivious to everything around him, especially his doctor hovering over him, ready to rip his throat out at a moment's notice.

He knew that if his dead heart could beat, it would be fluttering madly in his chest. He had not tasted human blood in almost a century, but if he could not resist…

He could resist! He would! Hopefully.

He felt his cell phone buzzing in his pocket and he quickly flipped it open.

"Edward!" his sister, Alice, spoke frantically into the phone. "I-!"

_Shit._

He pressed the end button then quickly shut the phone off. He knew exactly why his sister was calling him. She had obviously seen how the situation would end. If he walked out of this room with his patient still among the living, there would have been no need for her to call. Well, if he was going to destroy everything his family had worked for, he might as well enjoy it.

Edward knew the moment was at hand as he could not risk any more time. Every second he spent in this room was a second closer to discovery. He could hear the man's heart beating smoothly and steadily in his chest, the blood swooshing through his veins. And so, he closed his eyes and finally allowed the air in the room which was permeated with the man's scent to fill his nose and his mouth and roll over his tongue and…

Nothing.

Nada.

Not a damn thing.

Edward opened his eyes, confusion clear on his face. _What the fuck? _He exhaled until his lungs were empty then inhaled deeply .

Oh, he smelled the human. He could smell the salty iron taste of the blood, but it was no more intense than any other human he had been coming into contact with for years. He was utterly confused now. He even walked into the bathroom for a tissue and attempted to blow his nose. Was his sense of smell out of whack all of a sudden?

Then it hit him.

He had believed this man was the singer because he had never seen him before. But there had been someone else in that ER that he had never seen before.

The girl with the large brown eyes. The same one he had seen driving out of the parking lot in that antiquated truck.

_His singer._

***

Bella carefully made her way down the hallway, carrying a box of bedpans. Central Supply had forgotten that most important item when they had restocked the ER shelves during the night and as the low woman on the totem pole, Bella had been volunteered as fetcher.

She was attempting to focus on watching where she placed her feet while also looking over the box. She did not wish to run into anything, and she did not want to trip. She could only imagine the stories and limericks that would be composed about flying bedpans on her behalf.

It was due to her concentration that she did not hear a door open and close a few feet away from her. She suddenly heard a sharp intake of breath and looked up into the murderous stare of none other than Dr. Edward Cullen. His gaze was so fierce that her arms suddenly felt numb, allowing the box to slide from her grasp and the pink plastic pans to clatter to the floor. Even with all the clamoring, she was unable to tear her gaze away from his. She had thought of nothing but him since the day before.

Edward was shocked. It had been years since he had been surprised by anything as he had relied on his mind reading abilities to warn him before something happened. But he had heard _nothing. _He stared at her, hatred flowing through him as he felt the monster pushing, trying to burst forth. The sweet, exotic scent of her blood was tantalizing and he ridiculously hated her for smelling so good. _Why is she not running? Why is she not scared?_ he thought. He knew he had to look terrifying in that moment. Then he remembered he had not heard her thoughts when he entered the hallway. And when he finally allowed his mind to focus on something other than _that scent_, he still heard nothing. Why the hell could he not hear her thoughts?

She was just staring at him, pink bedpans scattered all over the hall between them. Was she stupid? Could she not speak? Maybe she was mute and had never learned to speak and that was why he could not hear her thoughts…he was listening for words. He concentrated and searched her mind for pictures, abstracts…nothing.

"Um, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I'm just really clumsy," she said, embarrassed, her face flushing a beautiful red color, which brought his thoughts right back to a more dangerous problem.

Her blood.

But surprisingly, he was more focused on why he couldn't hear her mind. That thought was overruling his desire for her blood and that gave him enough time to get away from her before he killed her right there in the hallway of Forks Community Hospital.

"Are you okay?" she asked, wondering if she had scared him more than she originally thought.

He stared at her intently, then nodded curtly, before turning on his heel and walking briskly in the opposite direction leaving her staring at him open-mouthed.

_Jessica was wrong_, she thought. He wasn't gay. He was just a jerk. "Well bite my ass then," she muttered, missing the amused expression that flitted across Edward's face at her choice of words.

_If only she knew,_ he thought. As much as he wanted her blood, _she _intrigued him more. As he could not hear her thoughts, he turned back to look at her. She was bent over, attempting to stack the bedpans, and muttering a few choice curse words when they would clatter to the floor again. He allowed himself a small smile; he wanted to get to know this girl. He would maintain control.

He would not spill her blood.

He headed toward home. His family deserved an explanation, but first he needed to clear his mind. So he stopped in the forest and did the one thing his vampire nature had gifted him with that he truly enjoyed.

He ran, just for the pleasure of running.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I just want to send out a big thanks to everyone who has left me a review on this story letting me know how much you are enjoying it! Your encouragement and excitement fuel my desire to keep moving with this story and your excitement is completely contagious. If I've missed responding to anyone's review, please know it was a complete oversight! You guys are awesome! So as your reward, here is the next chapter with much more Edwardy goodness! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Twilight…but I do own Eric and Ben.**

Eric Anderson sat in his study, lights off, beer in hand. He was unsure of how long he had been sitting in the dark, but he did not care. Two police detectives had left several hours before, confirming what he had known from the beginning.

"_Dr. Anderson, we have found evidence that Ms. Russo left of her own volition."_

"_And why do you think that? I told you, we loved each other; she wouldn't have left me. There must be foul play involved."_

_Detective One gave him a hard look. "Sir, we've spoken with several of her co-workers at the hospital who report that Ms. Russo frequently would come into work with various bruises, contusions, and lacerations…"_

"_Yes, well, Anna was – well to be blunt – she was very clumsy. She would tell you that herself. We often laughed about it." His teeth ground together._

"_Hmm. Well, we've also turned up evidence that Ms. Russo purchased bus tickets for both herself and her son leaving Jacksonville. There were only two tickets purchased; therefore, we can only conclude that she left of her own free will." Detective Two stared at him hard._

"_What was the destination on the tickets?"_

"_We are not at liberty to disclose that information to you, sir. From our investigation into Ms. Russo's disappearance, we have deduced that she left by her own choice and that if she wished for you to know where she was, she would have told you. Therefore, our investigation is closed. And if I might add, you are damn lucky she didn't press charges against you. Good day, Doctor."_

Eric had not moved from his spot since the detectives had shown themselves out. _Stupid pricks._ They dared to insinuate that he would hurt Anna? They had no fucking idea how good he was to her. He supported her and her brat, he took her to all of the important social events... He allowed her all the finest luxuries in life and what did she do?

The fucking bitch left him.

Well, he would find her. He had warned her before what would happen if she ever left him. And if he was anything, he was a man of his word. He would find her. And when he found her, he would fucking kill her.

***

"Edward!" Alice breathed in relief when he walked through the door. "I told you he was fine," she said to the rest of her family who were sitting quietly on the white leather sofas in the living area. A movie was playing on the large screen television, but no one was watching it.

Edward sighed. He could tell from the thoughts of his family members that Carlisle had filled them in on the events of the day. "Everything's fine. Nothing happened."

Jasper turned to Emmett. "Pay up."

"Oh, hell. That's not fair!" Emmett whined. "Your wife can see the future!"

Jasper just shrugged. "You knew that when you agreed to the terms."

Emmett glared at him before handing him a set of keys. "You scratch her, I'll rip your fucking arms off and beat you with them."

Esme gasped. "Language! And what exactly are you talking about?" She eyed them both suspiciously.

Everyone in the room looked between Emmett and Jasper who both stared at the floor. "Nothing," they said in unison.

Her eyes grew wide. "Do you mean to tell me that you two BET ON WHETHER OR NOT YOUR BROTHER WOULD KILL SOMEONE TODAY?" Esme rarely raised her voice but when she did, everyone cowered.

"I told him it was in poor taste," Jasper drawled, a picture of innocence.

"I-you-but-," Emmett stuttered, eyes wide. "You traitor!"

Edward laughed softly. He had known about the bet since he had started working at the hospital and it was not the first time any of the boys in the family had done such a thing. "It's all right, Esme. I'm just glad that Jasper won."

Esme stood and hugged Edward tightly. "I'm proud of you, Edward."

Edward nodded, yet did not speak further. He knew he should tell them that the patient had not been the singer, but he did not. This girl had released something within him that he did not yet understand, but he was hesitant to discuss it. He was not sure what he felt for this girl, but he did not feel like making the dissection of his emotions a family project right then.

_I saw her, Edward._

He looked quickly at Alice, then away, not wanting the rest of his family to know he was having a private conversation with his sister. He was not sure what to do. What exactly did she see? "It's been a strange day and I know you've all been worried, but everything's fine. If you will excuse me, however, I'd like to be alone." He left them sitting there, staring after him, as he walked to the front of the house and sat down at his piano. He thought the music might relax his racing mind.

He allowed his fingers to flow over the ivory keys, yet the melody sounded hollow to him. He attempted to focus his vampire mind on the harmony of the notes, yet all he could hear was the girl's voice. _Are you okay?_ He closed his eyes and could almost hear the exact rhythm of her heart, could picture the way her pupils had dilated when her eyes had met his. He could still hear how her breathing pattern had increased, could see her lips parting slightly.

_Edward, we have to talk._

He did not want to talk to Alice. He had believed that when she had called earlier, she had seen him killing the man but when that did not happen, he had assumed her vision was null. But those four little words she thought to him when he arrived home – _I saw her, Edward_ – had reminded him that she might have had more to say. He just was not sure it was something he wanted to hear.

Alice was never one to sugarcoat the truth.

He gave up on forcing the music to flow out of his fingers and walked up to his room, knowing Alice was waiting for him. He grudgingly pushed the door open.

_I saw her._

"I don't want to know what you saw, Alice." Could he not just enjoy the moment for once?

_You have to know, Edward. It's imperative!_ She was trying to force her vision into his mind, but he was blocking her thoughts.

"I'm not going to hurt her. I've been around her twice now and I was able to walk away both times." He could feel her mind pushing at his, begging to be allowed entrance.

_Would you shut up and look?_ And she was finally able to push her vision through his blockade and into his conscious.

Edward felt as if he had been punched in the gut. He saw the girl, lying in a kitchen with faded yellow cabinets, blood spreading across her chest and running across the floor. Her eyes were open, dull, and lifeless. Dead. Her face was frozen into a mask of terror. He saw himself standing in the doorway of this kitchen, looking down on her and he tore his mind back to the present. "NO! No, no, no! I will not kill her! I won't!" he screamed, pulling at his hair, pacing frantically so that he was a blur.

"Edward, stop," Alice said, softly, trying to catch him long enough to comfort him.

"Damn it, Alice, I-I can't stay away from her, but I will _not_ harm her. I've already decided that. So why…?" He was trembling in her arms and he stared at her in shock when she slapped him, hard, across the face.

"Edward, will you shut the hell up and listen to me? Stop being so melodramatic for a minute!" She had his face between both of her hands and was looking deep into his eyes. "Look again."

He did not want to. He tried to look away.

_Look and tell me exactly what you see!_

He took a deep breath and allowed his mind to look inside hers, cringing at the vision of his singer sprawled on the kitchen floor, surrounded by blood. "I can't," he whispered.

Alice sighed. "And here everyone goes on about how smart you are," she muttered. "Edward, you are not going to kill this girl."

He looked at her in confusion. "But…she's dead. You see her dead. You see me there. There's blood…"

She nodded. _Look at your eyes._

He drew his brows together and this time, instead of looking at the lifeless body in the vision, he looked at himself. His visionary self was staring at this girl in horror, pain etched across his chiseled features, his _topaz_ eyes closing in pain. His present self stared at Alice in amazement and horror. "What—you mean, I'm not—?"

She shook her head. "It's pretty obvious. Your eyes are not red in the vision; plus, if you killed her and drank her blood, do you think it would be all over her and the floor?"

Edward stared off into space a moment, allowing himself to absorb what his sister had said. It made sense. If Alice had envisioned him killing his singer, then her body would have been lifeless, yes, but there would not have been one drop of her precious blood spilled. And if he had drunk her blood, his eyes would have turned the crimson shade of their carnivorous kin. He felt hope fill his empty chest before a sudden thought brought his happy state to a crashing halt. "But she's still…dead, in your vision."

_Yes, she is._

"But I'm not going to kill her."

_No, but someone else will. Not a vampire, but one of her own kind. She's going to die, Edward._ Her face was contorted in grief.

Edward remembered her bright, brown eyes, her clumsy nature, and her parting remark aimed at him in the hallway which caused him to smile. She had spunk and he knew that it would be a crime for the world to exist without her in it.

"They'll have to go through me first," he growled, smiling at her widely, exposing all of his razor-sharp teeth.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Enough of the drama, Edward. _I'm_ not going to kill her, so stop trying to scare me. Save it for whoever it is that's going to try to hurt her." She paused. "You have to keep her safe, Edward. I've seen her in other visions and before this one, she was going to be my best friend. I-I love her, Edward."

He nodded. He already knew what he was going to do and he did not want to waste any more time sitting here, talking about it.

"Where are you going?" Alice whispered, although she already knew. She had seen several possibilities of the future throughout the day, but the one she had shown Edward was the one that had been absolute for the last several hours. "Oh, and Edward…next time you can save yourself all of this grief and just answer your damn phone."

He smiled briefly at her then was gone.

***

Edward gracefully climbed the large maple tree and settled himself on a branch. He had wandered around on the edge of town until he had picked up her scent which he had followed to this white, two-story house. He knew she was there as her truck was parked in the driveway and he could hear her voice inside. Edward had settled in front of the window of the room where her scent was the most concentrated and gazed through the dark. To anyone looking in, they would have only seen a dark bedroom, but his vampire eyes were able to make out the twin bed, rocking chair, and…child's bed. He almost fell out of the tree in shock.

"'Night, Bella. 'Night, Ben." Edward heard the voice of Charlie Swan say. _Bella…her name is Bella._ He tensed as he heard two sets of footsteps coming up the stairs. He could tell one belonged to a small child. She had a child? Oh, if only he could read her mind!

"'Night, Charlie. I'm just going to give Ben his bath, then we're both off to bed," she called before flicking on the switch, flooding the room with light.

Edward had only come to her house to watch over her. After seeing Alice's vision, he was determined that no harm would come to her, either from him or anyone else. But if he was honest with himself, he had also wanted to be close to her, to smell her scent – even though it caused him pain – and just to hear her voice…her heartbeat. He had not expected a child to be involved. Alice had apparently not seen this minor detail either. He stared into the room, hidden by the darkness.

"I want bubbles, mommy," Ben pleaded, digging through a basket and standing up with his arms full of toys.

"Benjamin, you can have bubbles, but you are not putting all of those toys in the tub," Bella said sternly. "Pick one."

"Please?" he begged, hugging his stash tighter.

She laughed, pulling the toys from his grasp. "You cannot put stuffed animals in the bathwater. Now, come on," she said, pushing him out the door.

Edward stared into the room, his mind racing as he heard the water running and Bella and Ben talking quietly and laughing. A child…she had a child. And if he did not do something to change what Alice had seen, Bella would die. He resolved to work even harder to keep her safe now. He could not leave this child without his mother. His stomach kept feeling as if something wiggly had gotten loose inside and he did not know what was wrong with him.

He finally heard the water draining out of the tub and he straightened on his branch, anticipating their arrival. He knew he should leave. He had set out only to ensure she was safe, but now, he could not move. He needed to know more about her _and_ her son. _So now you're a peeping Tom?_ he asked himself, disgusted, yet still unable to start home. _Crazy vampire stalker._ He laughed bitterly at himself.

Ben ran into the room, his hair still damp. Edward could smell his scent, which was made more pungent from the heat of the water, but he did not feel the desire for it as he did with Bella's blood. "Read me a story, mommy!"

She and Ben snuggled up on his bed and she started to read to him the tale of _Sleeping Beauty_.

Edward found himself captivated by her voice, wishing that he could be in that room with them both, snuggled up behind her, his arm wrapped protectively around them. He would tuck Ben in and kiss him good-night and… _WHOA_! He pulled himself back to reality. _It's impossible_, he thought and found he was incredibly sad at that realization.

Bella closed the book and kissed Ben on the forehead. "Now, good-night, munchkin."

"Mommy, will a prince come and save us one day and take us to his castle and we'll all live happily ever after forever 'n ever?" Ben asked dreamily.

Bella sighed. "Honey, those are just fairy tales."

He giggled. "But you could be a real princess and a prince would ride up on his horse with a sword! But then he'd kiss you", he said, his face scrunched up in disgust. His eyes were bright with imagination.

She laughed softly. "Oh. Well, if a prince shows up and I'm a real princess, who would you be?" She was not holding her breath for a prince to come riding out of the sunset. All of her possible princes seemed to turn into frogs.

He looked up at her. "Spiderman," he said, seriously.

Edward suppressed a laugh at the little boy's answer. He stared in at the cozy, family moment and felt such a sense of longing wash over him that he knew he would have cried if he could have produced tears.

"Spiderman, huh?" Bella asked and laughed when Ben jumped up and crouched on the floor, hands extended as web blasters.

"'With great power comes great responsibility'," he stated in a serious voice. "And I would be responsible for the whole kingdom and have my own suit and keep all the bad guys away!"

Bella hustled him back into bed. "Well, your power meter will be empty without sleep, young man. So, good night."

Ben giggled. "'Night, mommy. I love you."

Edward could see the tears glistening in her brown eyes – could smell the salty tang.

"I love you too, baby."

Edward watched as she moved about the room in the dark, tripping over whatever might be scattered on the floor. He heard her swear under her breath when she stubbed her toe on the bed frame and he had to fight back a laugh. She was not like any other person, human or vampire, he had ever met in his existence. She fascinated him, intrigued him, and brought up protective feelings that he never known existed.

As he watched her head toward the bathroom and heard the shower turn on, Edward knew that it was time for raw contemplation. He was feeling emotions that he had never felt before and every time he looked at Ben, he felt an overwhelming need to climb through that window and gather the sleeping child close to his chest. He saw Alice's vision again, saw Bella lying in that kitchen surrounded by her own blood, and he knew that he would move Heaven and Hell to keep her alive.

He stared at Ben, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, and he was slammed by another wave of emotion he was unable to identify. He wanted nothing more than to be in that room with them both, to wrap them in his arms and keep them both safe from the horrors of the world outside. He wanted to just be with them, spend time with them, talk with them, laugh with them. He wanted to play Spiderman with Ben, read to him, tuck him in at night. He wanted all of these things and he knew _these_ feelings had nothing to do with Alice's vision.

Bella walked back into the room, her scent wafting to him and he allowed it to flow into his lungs. He still wanted her blood –he always would – but he was not a crazed monster in that moment. He stared at her as she climbed into bed and settled down to sleep, her hand resting on Ben's back. He felt another wave of longing crash over him and he suddenly knew what the elusive emotion was.

He was in love with her.

Completely.

He was completely head over heels in love with this human girl.

Why else would he be able to resist her blood in order to keep her alive? Why would he get immense pleasure just from watching her through her window? He loved her and he would keep her alive. He had vowed to never take another human life, but if a human threatened harm to her or Ben, he would rip them apart, peel their flesh from their bones, and make them know real terror before he dispatched them to Hell.

He looked in the room at the sleeping child and he knew that he wanted both Bella and her son; he wanted a family. He wanted _her_ family. Yes, he had his vampire family and they would all think he had drunk some tainted blood when Alice told them this latest development, but he had always felt a piece of his soul – if he had one – was missing, and now he knew why.

The missing piece had just been put into place; he would find a way to make it work. Some way, he would have the family he had always longed for and he would not let Alice's vision come to pass. He would do it all. He was a vampire; he could multitask.

He spent the entire evening in the tree, watching Bella and Ben sleep, soothed by the sound of their breathing. For the first time in his life, he felt as if he knew the purpose for his existence.

And for the first time since arriving in Forks, Ben did not wake up screaming.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: First, I just want to give a big thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, and/or put this story on alert. Your interest is truly flattering! Now, I really struggled with the first part of this chapter. I would write, then delete and rewrite and delete… I think I am satisfied with it, but I would REALLY appreciate your feedback on it – let me know if you like it, if you think Edward and Bella are in character, etc. And now, finally, some Edward and Bella interaction! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight (wish I did), I do own Eric and Ben.**

"Is this seat taken?"

Bella glanced up at the velvet-soft voice and felt her mouth drop open. Edward Cullen was standing in front of her, in the half-full hospital cafeteria, looking like he just stepped off the cover of a _GQ _magazine.

Edward smiled inwardly at her response. Maybe getting her to open up to him would be easier than he originally thought. But, as he was unable to hear her thoughts, he was going to have to do this the old-fashioned way and rely solely on his charm. Fortunately, over the years, he had managed to perfect the precise way to alter his tone of voice, how to smolder his eyes, and how to smile in just the right way to have the desired effect on the fairer sex. "I haven't had a chance to actually introduce myself. I'm Edward Cullen." He pulled out the seat across from her and set his prop tray on the table.

Bella forced her mouth shut and attempted to stream a coherent thought together. She had thought of nothing but his _eyes_ over the last several days, yet to be in his overwhelming presence was possibly more than she could handle. She forced her eyes away from his liquid golden orbs and was finally able to take in the rest of his appearance. _No wonder he's the talk of the women's locker room. _He was breathtakingly beautiful, his pale skin in sharp contrast to his dark hair that held a touch of bronze. Suddenly, she remembered that he was still waiting for a response. "Um, yeah-I mean, no." _He's going to think I'm a complete idiot_, she thought. She closed her worn copy of _Wuthering Heights_ that she had brought from home to occupy her lunch hour. It did not look as if she would be reading today.

He smiled a crooked smile at her, making sure to keep all of his teeth covered, and heard her heart rate accelerate, fluttering erratically. "And you are…?" he asked, not wanting to let on that he knew her name. He inadvertently took a deep breath and was slammed once again by her scent. Edward immediately felt the dry, burning thirst at the back of his throat and clenched his teeth together. He had planned this meeting so carefully – a room full of people, planning to breathe only when absolutely necessary, and feeding until he had glutted himself on blood in a feeble attempt to quench the thirst that had nothing to do with need but desire. He forced his expression to remain friendly. He could do this – he would do this.

She shook her head, attempting to break whatever spell he had cast over her. "Um, Bella. Bella Swan." She stuck her hand out and gasped when his fingers grasped hers for only a split second; his hands were ice cold. "It's nice to meet you," she added, in an attempt to remember her manners. He was a doctor, after all, and the number one rule in Nursing 101 was one did not piss off the doctors if at all possible.

He held her gaze, unwilling to appear as if anything were out of the ordinary. Edward mimicked typical human habits and began to move his food around on the tray, not that he was actually going to eat it…_yuck_. But over the years, he had learned that if he touched the food, moved it around on his plate, or pulverized it with his fingers, humans around him believed the illusion that some of the food disappeared; typically, they saw what they wanted to see. "So, Bella, how are you liking Forks so far?"

Bella attempted to tear her gaze from his smoldering eyes. She would never be able to maintain an intelligent conversation if she felt as if she were drowning every time she looked into his eyes. "Oh, um, fine. It's smaller than what I'm used to." He flashed that smile at her again and she felt her face flush.

Edward watched the blood rush to her face and swirl underneath her translucent skin; he felt the familiar fire burn in the back of his throat and tasted the venom flood his mouth. He swallowed hard and looked deeply into her chocolate brown eyes. He could not hear her thoughts but her eyes spoke louder than her words did. He looked for any hidden fear there and found none. His kind was graced with an otherworldly beauty that humans found to be irresistible, yet, usually, their sense of self-preservation made them keep their distance. He wondered when her instincts would pick up on the fact that he was a dangerous predator and send her screaming in terror. He dreaded that moment and vowed to enjoy every minute he had in her presence. "Where did you move from?"

"Jacksonville." _Finally, a word without a stutter!_

He let out a laugh. "So you move from one of the warmest, sunniest places on Earth to the wettest place in the continental U.S.? Whatever made you decide to move _here_?"

Bella felt the blood drain from her face. _What did Charlie say my cover story was? Shit! Shitshitshitshitshit!_ She could not concentrate with Edward's golden eyes boring into hers. She felt as if he were trying to read her mind, then told herself to stop being ridiculous. "Oh, um, well…my uncle, Charlie, invited me-us to come stay with him for a while." She picked at her turkey sandwich, her appetite gone the moment he had appeared out of thin air at her side.

_So Chief Swan is her uncle; that's why she's living there. But what about the child?_ "So did the rest of your family move with you?" he asked, making his voice as smooth and rich as melted caramel; he knew he was successful when he heard her heart flutter again.

_God, this man must have superpowers or something_, she thought, feeling her heart race at just the sound of his voice. She thought she could sit all day and just listen to him speak. Hell, he could read the phone book and make it sound sexy. "Um, no-I mean yes. Well, it's just me and my son, Benjamin." She wondered if her articulation would improve the longer she was in his presence, but doubted it.

"Oh, how old is he?" he asked, honest interest shining through in his voice and eyes. She did not know that his sister had seen a vision of her death or that he had made it his own personal mission to keep both her and Ben safe, for that matter.

She finally allowed a full smile to bloom across her face at the discussion shifting to her son. He was her pride and joy, her reason for living. "He's three. I've enrolled him at the daycare here in town and he absolutely loves it." She laughed softly, remembering Ben's enthusiasm that morning.

Edward leaned back in his chair, remembering to shift occasionally as humans did. "What does he enjoy the most?"

Bella was shocked at his question, not expecting this godlike doctor to be interested in her or her son. She had just been attempting conversation. "Oh, um, story time. He loves books. We read every night at bedtime."

"And what about Ben's father? Is he in Jacksonville?" he asked, his eyes intent on hers. He watched as her face turned bright red and he would have given up all of his powers to have been able to hear her thoughts in that moment.

Bella felt her face grow hot and heard the blood pounding in her ears. She had known that people in Forks would be curious about her son's father, but she had not been prepared to discuss him with Edward Cullen, of all people. She chewed on her bottom lip briefly, wondering what she should say. She looked into his liquid topaz eyes again and felt butterflies dancing in her stomach. "N-no, he's not. Um, I-I gotta go, my lunch hour is up, but it was great to talk to you," she stammered and before he could say another word, she grabbed her lunch bag and practically ran out of the cafeteria, bumping into several tables and tripping over a chair in the process.

Edward leaned back in his chair, watching her flee. So she could eat lunch with a vampire without issue – of course, she was not aware of that fact – but bring up the subject of her son's father and she runs in the opposite direction. He did not want to scare her away, so he would not bring it up in the immediate future, but he _would_ find out what caused her to panic at his mention of the man. And if Edward discovered that he had done something to hurt her, then God save him, because Edward would not be held accountable for his actions.

***

Bella managed to make it through her shift, although she remained rattled for the remainder of the day. Fortunately, the ER had been quiet and no one had been in dire need of life-saving medical attention; she was not sure she would have been able to focus enough had they been.

"So," Jessica drawled while they were changing out of their work scrubs. "I saw Edward Cullen sitting with you at lunch today." She shot Bella an accusatory glare before shifting back into best-friend mode.

"I don't even know why he sat there. He really just came over to introduce himself," she stammered, feeling the familiar flush rise to her face at the thought of Edward. "I gotta go get Ben. See you guys tomorrow." She practically sprinted from the locker room to the confused looks of her co-workers; she was in no condition to discuss Edward with anyone. Her reaction to him had thoroughly confused her.

She drove methodically to the daycare, taking extra care as another rain shower had passed over Forks prior to her departure. She continued to see Edward's tawny gaze in her mind and every time she thought of how he had smiled at her, she felt heat color her cheeks. _God, quit acting like a freaking teenager_, she admonished herself, pulling into the parking lot. She could not afford to get involved with anyone else, ever again. Eric had completely wiped out all interest for her in the opposite sex and no man would ever be able to convince her otherwise, no matter how smooth his voice was, how deep his eyes were, how beautiful his face was… _Stop it_, she commanded herself again, shutting the engine off and walking in the building to pick up her son.

"Mommy!" Ben called when he saw her and he flung himself into her arms. "I made a Star Wars helmet today!" he said, holding up a hat made of white construction paper.

She hugged him before setting him down on the floor and signing him out. "That is way cool, Ben. You ready?"

"Hey, are you Isabella Swan?"

"Just Bella," she automatically replied and turned to see a man with gelled blond hair standing there with his hand stuck out. She shook it.

"Oh, well, hey, I'm Mike. Mike Newton. I've heard a lot about you," he said, appraising the newest girl in town with interest. He had known most of the female population in Forks since he was a child, so he was definitely interested in Bella Swan. She was unknown, new. It certainly did not hurt that she was pretty in an interesting, delicate way.

"Oh, hey," she said awkwardly. She had just recently sworn off men and she could not see how getting hit on in a daycare was going to be a positive for poor Mike. "Good to meet you."

She hustled Ben out to the truck and was slightly frustrated when Mike followed her.

"I'm surprised we haven't run into each other here before. I always pick up my niece, Chloe, when I get off of work," he explained, indicating the small, blonde girl who was climbing into a large Suburban.

Bella suppressed an eye roll and turned to face Mike, faking interest. She was still shaken from her lunch conversation and she wanted nothing more than to get home and relax in solitude. Instead, Mike was attempting to ask her out and she was unsure of how to let him down gently. _Sorry, Mike, but I don't date because my crazy ex-boyfriend is after me and we're in hiding and if he finds us he'll kill us and I don't want you to get hurt…?_ Well, maybe not.

***

Edward sat in his silver Volvo, music turned low, and watched as Bella walked into the daycare. He had not meant to follow her, per say, he only wanted to ensure that she and Ben made it home safely. He knew that his interrogation at lunch had shaken her and he did not want her to become involved in an accident because of him. At least, that was how he was justifying his stakeout to himself. A small voice in the back of his head whispered to him that he was on the threshold of becoming a full-blown stalker, but a louder voice – the one that enjoyed being close to Bella in any way possible – told the other one to shut up.

He was parked across the highway at the Thriftway grocery and when she walked out, Ben skipping ahead, he prepared to start the car and follow her rest of the way home. But when he saw Mike Newton follow her out and engage her in conversation, however, he clenched his hands around the steering wheel and rolled the window down so he could hear exactly what Mike had to say to _his_ Bella. He gritted his teeth when Mike's thoughts drifted to him.

_Damn, she is hot. Wonder if she'd go out with me_. "I'm surprised we haven't run into each other here before. I always pick up my niece, Chloe, when I get off of work."

Edward growled low in his chest and had to fight the urge to rip the door off of the car followed by Mike's head from his body. Bella was his, damn it.

"Oh, uh, well-," he heard Bella stammer, pleased that she did not seem so keen on the idea either. He forced himself to release the steering wheel before he broke it when suddenly he heard the sound of tires squealing. He looked to the right and saw a Ford Mustang barreling down the highway at a speed much too fast for town. He watched in horror as the car hit a puddle and began to hydroplane, causing it to skid right into the daycare parking lot.

Bella looked up at the sound of tires screaming in protest against the pavement and suddenly realized the car was careening out of control and heading directly toward them. Just as with most crises, time seemed to slow down. She looked at Mike, who stood frozen in terror, unable to move. She then looked and saw Ben, who was standing behind her truck…and directly in the path of the oncoming car. She knew she would never make it in time.

Edward made his decision without thinking; he acted purely on impulse. The moment his mind registered what was going to happen and that Ben was in the direct path of the oncoming disaster, he was out of his car and running across the highway as fast as he could. He did not worry about anyone noticing him; he was running too fast for the naked human eye to see. He would deal with the aftermath later. He just could not stand by and let the little boy be crushed. He knew it would kill Bella…and if she and Ben were not alive, then he would have nothing left to exist for either.

He swooped into the parking lot and grabbed Ben up into his arms and turned his back, his right arm braced on the tailgate of Bella's truck just as the Mustang crashed into his legs. A plethora of profanities ran through his mind, but he did not open his mouth. His eyes locked with Bella's and his ears heard the sound of metal twisting and breaking; he heard the sound of tires screeching and people screaming. But all he could see was Bella's wide brown eyes full of fear…and confusion.

After a few seconds when the mayhem had died down, he looked down into Ben's shocked, pale face. "Are you okay?" he asked gently, quickly looking the boy over for any obvious injuries, his vampire ears listening to his heart and lung sounds, assessing for any internal problems.

Ben's brown eyes were wide, the pupils dilated. He was going into shock.

Bella rushed over, her knees wobbling, her mind racing. "Oh my God. Oh, Ben! Edward, you saved his life!" She grabbed him out of Edward's arms and wrapped him tightly in her own, rocking him gently and kissing the top of his head. She faintly heard the sound of sirens in the background and knew someone must have dialed 911. She started when Edward handed her a blanket; she did not know where he had gotten it from, but she wrapped it tightly around her son. He was beginning to shiver. She forced down her own feelings of panic; she would fall apart later, but right now, Ben needed her to be strong.

"Bella, are you all right?" Edward asked her softly, appraising her from head to toe, looking for any signs of injury. He was aware of her potent scent, but at the moment, it was the furthest thing from his mind.

She nodded. She was not all right, but she had to hold it together for now.

Edward wanted to wrap his arms around her and comfort her, but he did not know how she would react. He had seen the confusion in her eyes; he was afraid she would question what had happened. Plus, she needed warmth, and that, he could not offer. Instead, he looked at the Mustang. The force of it crashing into his legs had pushed it back fifty feet and there were two indentions in the front grill; it looked as if it had been rammed into two trees. The force of the impact had also caused his hand to dent Bella's tailgate. He would have to destroy the evidence soon, but for now, he had to ensure Bella and Ben were okay. Maybe he could call Emmett for backup.

"What happened?" Charlie asked, running up to them, leaving the door to his police cruiser open, the lights flashing, casting Edward's pale skin into blue then pinkish tones.

"This car, it came out of nowhere," she stammered and Edward tensed, wondering what she would say. Would she tell Charlie that he ran at inhuman speed from across the highway and stopped the car with his body? Would he have to discount her story, making her feel as if she were crazy and therefore destroying any hope he had with her?

"It was going to hit Ben," she said, her voice shaky, "but Edward managed to pull him out of the way in time. He would have been killed," she whispered, tears falling down her cheeks. Edward was speechless.

Paramedics had arrived and were attempting to remove Ben from his mother's iron grasp. Edward fought down the growl that threatened to escape. He knew they were just doing their job, but he also knew that Bella did not want to let go of her son. "Hey, doc," one of them called and he realized they were talking to him. "Ma'am, you're going to have to let him go. We need to get him to the hospital to get checked out. You can follow behind us."

"Tim," Edward called, clenching his teeth together to stop from smashing the man's skull. "Bella is a new nurse in the ER. She _will_ ride in the back with her son. My father is on duty; I'll call him and let him know you're on the way."

Tim looked at Edward's face and faltered at the murderous glare he was receiving. He did not dare argue. "Sure thing, doc."

Bella threw a grateful smile at Edward and he tugged on her jacket sleeve before she climbed into the ambulance. Charlie was already in his police cruiser, ready to clear the way to the hospital.

"I'll meet you there," he said softly.

"Okay," she whispered, then looked him straight in the eye. "Then, you're going to give me some answers about what just happened." And she climbed into the ambulance and headed to the hospital.

_Fuck._ Edward had known this was likely to happen. Now he had about ten minutes to come up with a convincing story or his entire family was liable to face the one thing that frightened a vampire more than fire or werewolves.

Exposure.

**End Note: Just a teaser for next chapter, Edward is going to have to face his family about what he just did…including Rosalie. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Ben and Eric.**

Edward slid his car neatly into his parking space and attempted to walk at an adequate pace into the ER. It had been difficult to not blow past the ambulance, but he had to appear human; he had put his family in danger enough already for one day. He silently walked up to the nurses' station, which was being monitored by an elderly female clerk. "What room is Benjamin Swan in?" he asked without greeting.

She looked up, surprise on her face. She obviously did not expect to have to put her book down during her shift to actually help anyone. "Oh, um, Dr. Cullen, I didn't see you come in. Benjamin Swan, you say? Are you treating him?" she asked, a note of suspicion clouding her tone.

Edward clenched his teeth together and forced his impatience down. Smashing her head on the counter would avail him nothing, except an official visit from Chief Swan, whom he wanted to stay on good terms with. A murder charge would definitely paint him in a bad light with both Bella and Charlie. "No, not actively."

"Then I'm afraid privacy rules forbid…" her voice was drowned out by a roaring in his head.

_Fuck the Goddamn privacy rules_, he wanted to shout at her, but again, he suppressed the overwhelming need to smash his hand into her face and turned his golden eyes on her instead. "Look, I was at the scene. Bella, Ben's mother, asked me to meet them here. The little guy's been through a very traumatic ordeal and he may need a psychiatric evaluation." It was not exactly a lie, but he hoped for her sake that she provoked no further argument.

"Edward."

Edward turned and saw Carlisle beckoning to him. "Never mind, I've found who I needed," he said to the clerk, who was staring at him, her mouth pinched tight. "Thank you," he said smoothly. _For nothing,_ he added in his mind, and rolled his eyes when she went right back to her book. "How's Ben?" he asked Carlisle.

Carlisle pulled him into an empty examination room. "He's going to be fine. He's had a shock, but we gave him some IV fluids and warming blankets, so he's coming around and beginning to talk. I've sent him to X-ray for a CAT scan of his head and abdomen, however, just to make sure he didn't sustain any internal injuries when you pulled him out of the way."

Edward nodded. He had tried to be as gentle as possible, but he had been focused on the car barreling toward Ben, so he was relieved that Carlisle was checking all possibilities. "Has Bella said…anything?"

Carlisle shook his head. "Nothing related to questioning what happened. Just medical things about her son, which any mother would do. But you need to talk to her."

"I know."

"What are you going to tell her?" Carlisle questioned, looking intently at Edward.

Edward hung his head. "I don't know yet."

Carlisle sighed. "Son, we must handle this matter very carefully. This has the potential to cause us catastrophic problems."

Edward looked up into his father's amber gaze. "I know, but I couldn't just sit there and watch while the boy was killed! I don't know what else I could have done," he said, almost pleading now, needing to make Carlisle understand. He knew his family would be furious with him that he had possibly exposed them – and he could not blame them – but he knew that if he had it to do over again, he would not alter his decision in the slightest.

Carlisle could see the desperation in Edward's eyes and knew where his thoughts had drifted. "They are aware. Alice has already called."

"Why did she not call me before—" Edward started, wondering how his sister could have failed to warn him of the impending disaster. He pulled out his phone, only to find the battery was dead. _Figures._

"She tried. Edward, once you have satisfied your need to ensure Bella and her son are safe, you need to come directly home. We all need to discuss this latest turn of events and decide on a course of action."

"Carlisle, surely you know that if I'd had any other option…" He pleaded, needing reassurance from his father that he understood. He needed to hear that if the roles had been reversed, Carlisle would have done the exact same thing. He knew that he could take whatever his family threw at him as long as Carlisle was on his side; if his father supported his decision, he knew the rest of the family would follow, even if grudgingly.

Carlisle placed his hand on his shoulder. "I've never doubted you, Edward. Never." And with a gentle squeeze, he left Edward standing in the hallway as a young girl came into the ER, crying both out loud and in her mind about the blood gushing from a gash in her knee from a bicycle accident. Edward walked into Ben's room and sat in the extra chair to wait, breathing steadily.

***

Bella turned the corner of the hallway, walking beside the stretcher, on the way back from Ben's CAT scan. Her mind was a whirlwind; she knew what she had seen, but she did not know how to go about asking Edward about it. How did one confront someone about an inhuman experience? And really, what had she seen? One minute, she was talking to Mike, and the next, Edward appeared out of thin air. What was she going to say? _Hey, Edward, thanks for saving my son's life. By the way, can you apparate or something? Fly? Are you really Superman? Harry Potter? What?_ _And what did you do to that car? It's freaking totaled! _She preceded the stretcher into the room and gasped – Edward was sitting in the chair, looking like a Greek god brought to life. "Edward," she whispered in amazement.

He registered the shock in her eyes and was bewildered. Was she surprised to see him? Had he not told her that he would meet her here? He slowly stood and walked to the stretcher where Ben was covered in blankets, his wide eyes tracking Edward's every movement. "Hey, there, spider monkey," he said with a grin. "How're you feeling?"

Ben stared up at him in awe. "Are you Superman?" he whispered.

_Fuck._ So even the child had noticed. He met Bella's eyes and saw the questions swirling there. He still had not come up with a viable lie to tell her. He laughed, trying to downplay the situation. "No, I'm not Superman," he said. _I'm no superhero, kiddo._ "I was just in the right place at the right time." _Please don't ask questions, please don't ask questions!_

Ben continued to stare at him, before a dawning look came across his face. "Oh, right…secret identity! Got it!" he whispered, conspiratorially.

Edward felt panic rising up in his chest, but forced his expression to remain open. Bella was continuing to search his face and he knew that if she saw what he was trying to suppress, any hope he had of convincing her she had been seeing things would completely evaporate. "So, what did Carlisle say?" he asked Bella, even though he knew. _Redirect, refocus,_ he repeated to himself.

"Um, he thinks everything's going to be fine. But he did some X-rays, just to be sure," she stammered, continuing to search his face for answers. She wanted to just come right out and ask him, but she knew it would sound ridiculous. Suddenly, Ben's childlike belief in real superheroes was not sounding so far-fetched after all. She wished now that she had paid more attention to the movies where the hero's secret identity was revealed; maybe it would have given her some etiquette guidelines on how to do this. "Edward…"

He took a deep breath, knowing what was coming even without the ability to hear her thoughts. He was nervous and the sensation was throwing him for loops. He was not used to the feeling of being thrown off kilter; normally, he was able to manipulate a situation to his liking based on what he heard before it was spoken. However, with Bella, this was not the case and she did not react like normal people anyway. He was on even ground with her more than he had ever been with another being, human or vampire, and the feeling unsettled him. He raised his eyebrows and kept the smile plastered on his face. It felt fake, forced to him.

She walked over to the doorway and turned, watching him follow her, his eyes never leaving her face. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

Edward was stunned. _Huh?_ "Am…I…okay?" he asked slowly, trying to figure out where she was going with this. Again, she had led him into uncharted territory of which he was completely unfamiliar.

"Yes. That car hit you awfully hard. Are you okay? Did Carlisle check you over too?"

_Shit._ She had cornered him. She had seen the car hit him and by all intents and purposes, he should be laying in an ICU bed upstairs, but instead, he was standing here, talking to her, completely unscathed. He just stared back, for the first time in his entire life, speechless.

She looked at him intently. "I saw the car. I saw it hit you and I saw what _you_ did to _it._ And I don't know where you even came from!"

He continued to stare at her, trying to work his magic on her and make her forget, make her heart flutter and dance in her chest, but all he managed to do was to look as if he had a toothache. "Bella…" He whispered, his voice weak, unsure what to say.

"Will you tell me how you stopped that car? How you got to us so fast?" God, she sounded crazy. He would probably tell her to call his office in the morning and make an appointment!

"I-I can't," he whispered, his normally honey voice breaking. _Smooth, 007._

She pressed her lips together. "Fine. You saved my son's life, so I guess I owe you that…for now. But I _will_ figure it out," she said quietly, before marching back to Ben's side and taking his hand in hers. _He didn't deny it…oh, holy hell!_

Edward knew he had just escaped with his head intact and that was his exit cue. He walked over to Ben's side. "Well, buddy, I'm going to go. But I'll check on you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay."

Bella met his eyes, but before he could make his escape, she spoke. "Edward?"

He turned around at the doorway.

"Thank you."

***

Edward pulled his Volvo into his space in the garage, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw Carlisle's black Mercedes in its usual spot. He had known this confrontation was coming from the moment he had wrenched his door open in the Thriftway grocery parking lot, but he still would not have changed his actions. He stepped out of the car and was blasted by his family's thoughts.

_He's here._

_I hope he's all right._

_I think he's lost his marbles…possibly exposing us all to save a human? I don't get it._

_His stress level will be through the roof. I'm gonna have to work double-time._

_I wonder if this means that Bella and I will be friends now…I hope so!_

_Moron…stupid idiot!_

Edward dreaded to walk in the house, fearful that when he did, the confrontation would turn into UFC Fight Night. He was so thankful that Carlisle was there; at least with his father present, things would not get too out of hand. While he knew his family would never rip him apart and burn the pieces, he would not put it past Rosalie to attempt dismemberment. He knew it would not kill him, but it would hurt like hell, and like any creature, he tried to avoid pain if at all possible. He may be considered a masochist on some things, but he was not a complete idiot, contrary to Rose's opinion. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

His family was sitting around the large, mahogany dining table used for family conferences. He could tell they had already taken sides; the battle lines had been drawn. As the patriarch of the family, Carlisle was at the head of the table with Esme on his right. Alice was beside her, a smile plastered on her face; Jasper was on her right, her hand held lightly in his. Rosalie was on the left of Carlisle with Emmett on her left. They were not touching. Edward had a brief thought that if looks could kill, he would be dead on the floor from the murderous glare Rose was giving him. Emmett looked at him apologetically.

_Sorry, dude, but if I don't take her side, she'll make my life a living hell for decades…_

Edward smiled at him briefly in understanding, then sat at the opposite end of the table. "Well, I guess I should start?"

Carlisle offered him a small smile. "Alice has already filled everyone in on the main points and I have filled in the gaps from when you and I spoke earlier. But if you'd like to tell everyone _why_…"

Edward took another deep breath and looked at the six pairs of golden eyes staring at him, some curious, some confused, one pair murderous. "Okay. It's pretty simple. I couldn't let—"

"You dumbass!" Rosalie hissed, standing up and pushing her chair back in the process. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"Rose," Carlisle said quietly.

"No, Carlisle, I'm going to have my say, because if I'm going to have to move – or _die_ – for _him_, then by God, I'm going to say my piece!"

Edward just stared back at her serenely. He was accustomed to Rosalie's outbursts and usually he just ignored her. He had known her ever since her change and she had always been passionate about her feelings and beliefs; she had been changed when her emotions were high and bitter. She was not a bad person, she just sometimes failed to see the world outside of her own little box. "Are you done?" he asked, condescendingly.

"You might have brought the entire damn Volturi down on us if you've exposed us!" she shouted, her lips pulled back from her teeth. "Pray tell – what was so all important about this – _human_ – that you felt compelled to expose us all for what we are?" she shouted.

He opened his mouth, ready to explain, when she cut him off again.

"Damn moron!" she hissed at him, venom flying from her lips.

"Jasper?" Carlisle asked quietly, and immediately everyone felt a sense of calm wash over them.

Rosalie fell back into her chair. "That's not fair," she said, but her tone had quieted considerably.

"What is not fair is to not let Edward explain," Carlisle said to her, patting her hand. "Edward?"

Edward was thankful for the sense of peace that his brother had given him. As he was no longer human and could not take medication, Jasper was the next best thing to a Valium. "As I was saying before I was so _rudely_ interrupted, I could not just sit idly by and watch as the child was crushed to death, especially while his mother looked on. While I may be a vampire, I am not void of compassion."

"Child?" Rosalie asked, suddenly perked up. "No one mentioned anything about a child!"

"Well, it was Edward's story to tell and if you had just sat down and shut up, you would have found that out five minutes ago," Alice chimed in, a satisfied smile on her face. "Tell them about Bella, Edward!"

He groaned. His family did not keep secrets from each other, but he had been unsure of whether or not he needed to spill all of the beans at once. "Bella is the child's mother."

"And…" Alice prodded, a wide smile on her face.

Jasper's head jerked around, an incredulous look on his face. He had just been hit by an emotion he had never expected from Edward. "Seriously, Edward?"

"Will someone please tell us what the hell is going on? We can't understand your freaky-deaky ESPN telepathic communication crap!" Emmett said loudly. He hated when Edward and Alice carried on half of a conversation and now they had Jasper in on it.

Edward sighed and stared at Carlisle, looking for help.

Alice was bouncing in her seat. "He's found his mate!" she shouted.

Emmett's and Rosalie's eyes practically bugged out of their heads. "A human?" they shouted in unison.

"Oh, Edward," Esme sighed, her face full of joy.

Jasper just continued to shake his head, confusion clouding his face.

"Hey, you have to admit, if she's around you all the time, it does give a new meaning to the phrase 'lunch on the go' and 'fast food'," Emmett joked, causing a groan from everyone else in the room.

"You really have lost your mind," Rosalie said in disbelief.

_Hey, whatever floats your boat, man_, Emmett thought, still laughing at his joke.

"Look, this is not something I expected to happen. I wasn't even sure what I felt for her; it wasn't too long ago I wanted to kill her," Edward said wryly. "But I saw her with her son and I don't quite know what happened. But yes, I do love her." He looked at each face, waiting for the metaphorical bomb to drop.

"She has a child?" Rosalie said, excitement clouding her face. "I could be an aunt?"

"She already suspects something after today. But I don't think she'll say anything. I know I can't tell her what we are, but I'd like to at least attempt to stay close to her. Alice has seen her future and she's going to die if I don't keep her safe. If I see it's too dangerous for her and Ben to be around me…I'll walk away." Edward would walk away to keep her safe, although from what Alice saw coming in her future, she might be in more danger without him. _That's what you call ironic, _he thought.

"I could be a grandmother," Esme said happily across the table to Rose. The two were already planning a shopping trip to Seattle to purchase everything a young child could ever possibly dream of. "Oh, we have to learn how to bake cookies, Rose!"

Carlisle spoke, causing everyone to quiet. "We don't need to rush things. We cannot tell Bella what we are, that is against the rules, and I don't think we will need to worry about the Volturi as long as we follow the rules. And Edward, if you wish to attempt some type of relationship with her, we will _all_ welcome her with open arms," he said, looking at each family member for confirmation. They all nodded, each with a different expression on their faces now.

Some with bemusement, some with excitement, and some with disbelief.

"Well, before you all get too worked up, just remember. Nothing is going to happen if she doesn't feel the same way about me," Edward said, feeling a cold hand clench his dead heart at the thought. Surely she did.

Didn't she?

**A/N: Thanks to everyone to has read/reviewed/alerted this story so far! You guys are awesome! Please let me know what you think so far. Your feedback lets me know if I'm on the right track with this and gives me ideas on where I need to go.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: By popular request, here is the longest chapter to date! Actually, it just happened that way...but hey! If you asked for longer chapters, we'll say it's for you!**

**And, Cullencrazed2, part of this is just for you. I really appreciated your review, you and I were on the same page! ******

**Disclaimer: I don't own, blah blah…**

"So, what'd you guys have planned for today?" Charlie asked, dumping his breakfast dishes in the sink.

"We're goin' to…where we going Mommy?" Ben asked, his mouth stuffed full of pancakes.

Bella took a sip of her milk before answering. "Port Angeles."

Ben swallowed. "We're goin' to see bears, n' zebers, n' tigers, n' lions, an' they come to your car and everthing!" He was practically bouncing in his seat. "Then Edward's gonna take me and we're gonna see the big boat!"

"The ferry," Bella clarified. "We're going to Olympic Game Farm in Sequim first, then we're going to go to Port Angeles and let Ben see the ferry boats and just walk around. I've got to go to the book store too."

Charlie raised his eyebrows. "And you're going with Edward…Cullen?"

She nodded, her face flushing a bright red. She suddenly stared intently at her pancakes as if they held the meaning of life.

"You sure are spending a lot of time with him lately."

"Um-hm." _Oh, please, don't have this conversation!_

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Bells, you know you don't have to rush into anything. You've only been here three months and – while I'm thrilled you seem to be doing so well – I don't want you to think that just because someone does something nice for you, that you…well, that you…" He was looking extremely uncomfortable when Bella finally raised her eyes.

She rolled her eyes at him. "We're just friends, Charlie. He saved Ben's life, remember? And he's been seeing him for weekly therapy sessions – which seem to really be helping. Ben's been sleeping so much better. Plus, I like spending time with him; he's just a nice guy." _And, I'm still trying to figure out exactly _what_ he is._

"Well, just don't rush. Oh, and take an umbrella. All righty, I'm off. Wish me luck," he said, grabbing his hat and heading for the door. He had an all-day fishing excursion planned with Billy Black and he was anxious to get out on the lake and away from this discussion. Plus, Edward made him a little uneasy, although he could not figure out why. He was always perfectly polite and he seemed to be crazy about Bella and Ben. _Maybe I need to cut back on the beer a bit..._

"I'm sure the fish are quaking in fear," Bella laughed while Ben called out an enthusiastic farewell. She quickly finished her meal and washed the dishes. Then she hustled Ben upstairs so she could get the two of them ready. She was actually excited at the idea of spending the day with Edward; she felt as if he really saw her, yet he still wanted to be with her. She almost let a giggle escape; she felt giddy, then she admonished herself. _You don't _giggle_. Get it together._

She pulled her expression into a serene one and pulled her hair into a messy ponytail. Edward would be there within the next half-hour to pick them up and she had a plan for the day. She just hoped that he did not suspect anything.

***

Edward rolled his eyes. He believed his point had already been made, but apparently he had been mistaken. "No, I'm not bringing them over yet. Not until you two can cool your jets a bit."

"Please, Edward! You know there's no danger. We're not going to hurt either of them," Rosalie pleaded. She and Esme had been practically begging him to bring Bella and Ben to the Cullen house for days as the two of them had already spent hundreds of dollars on toys for the child. She had been trying to reign in the more explosive side of her personality and knew Edward would respond better if she asked nicely as opposed to demanding.

"I know you wouldn't intentionally hurt him, but look what happened earlier!"

She bit her lip and looked over to where Emmett and Jasper were repairing the plate glass window in the living room. "That was an accident."

"Hah! If it'd been me or Jazz that broke the window _and_ Esme's favorite vase, we'd been up shit creek! But noooo! Since the two of you are _trying_ to learn to play soccer so you can play with the kid, everything is just peachy!" Emmett grumbled, holding up the room-sized pane of glass while Jasper began sealing it into place.

Edward remembered the earlier commotion and shook his head. The week before, his mother and two sisters had returned from Seattle with Emmett's jeep loaded down with toys, along with the announcement that another shipment would be delivered the following day. They had purchased an inflatable bouncy castle that Emmett promptly busted when he attempted to jump on it himself, which had earned him a lecture from Esme along with a smack from Rosalie. They had also bought a tree house that the boys had been forbidden to touch after they had assembled it. For now, it still stood intact in the back yard. But the item that had caused all of the ruckus had been an innocent soccer ball.

Esme had driven by the Forks High School soccer fields one day and was determined that she and Rose would learn how to play so they would be able to kick the ball back and forth with Ben. The large white net on the opposite side of the back yard stood in testament to this goal. The problem had been when the two women had begun to have so much fun that they forgot to reign in their vampire strength and Rosalie had kicked the ball so hard, it had shattered the plate glass window, broken one of Esme's prized Ming vases, and then embedded itself into the drywall of the living room. When Edward had mentioned how glad he was that it had not been Ben's head that had been demolished, Esme had fled to her bedroom and had not been seen since. Carlisle was currently with her, attempting to calm her down.

Emmett had rolled around on the ground for a while, his laughter bouncing off of the trees, thrilled that for once, he had not been the cause of destruction and could not be blamed. Of course, he still had to be the one to clean it up.

"Please, Edward," she asked again, purposefully not looking at the window. The hole in the wall had already been repaired.

"Look, I'm going to go talk to Esme, and then I'm leaving." He looked at her face and actually felt sorry for the crestfallen look on her beautiful features. "Let's just give it a little more time for your…exuberance to calm down. Then I'll bring them over, I promise." He ran up the stairs, but felt a little better at the tremulous smile she had given him. As much as she was a constant pain in his ass, he did not like to purposefully cause her suffering. Her acceptance of Bella meant more to him than she would ever know. He knocked on the master suite door.

"Come in, Edward," Carlisle called.

He entered the room and he saw Esme curled up on the large sofa. "Esme, everything's fine."

_Oh, Edward, in my desire to love the boy, I'm liable to kill him. I couldn't live with myself._

He sat down beside her and patted her back. "You won't do anything to hurt him. I've already talked to Rosalie and we're just going to wait a little bit longer before I bring them over. You're both just so excited at the prospect of a child in the house and your excitement got the best of you."

"I don't know…I just don't know. If anything happened…"

"It won't. I know that you are a kind and loving person and that you would never do anything to hurt that boy. Plus, we'll all be here to keep him safe. I can move faster than any ball," he said with a grin, trying to make her smile. It worked. "Why don't you practice your baking skills while I'm gone? Maybe the first day he's here, you two can make some cookies instead of trying soccer. I don't think you could hurt him doing that."

"I need some more practice, don't I?" she asked with a small smile which caused Carlisle to laugh. Her first attempt had ended with a bunch of blackened globs. Her second attempt had been better, but she had sent the end product to the hospital with Carlisle and he reported that a few people had tried them, but after that, the bowl was not touched again.

Edward smiled at her. "Good idea. Well, I gotta go; Bella will be waiting on me. See you guys later."

***

Edward strolled casually down Lincoln Street, Bella's hand held loosely in his. He was still amazed that she never flinched at the iciness of his skin; instead, she seemed to be either unaffected by or unaware of the difference in temperature between his skin and hers. He was actually amazed by her in more ways than just one. Over the last month since the accident, he had continued to worry that Bella might mention her suspicions to someone, but so far, he had not heard any thoughts from anyone to cause him to believe this was the case. He could not imagine any other human keeping that information quiet.

They had stopped in Sequim and driven through the Olympic Game Farm where Ben could have been on a zip line by the way he bounced back and forth between the two back windows in the car, looking at the animals. Even with layers of metal between them, most of the wildlife kept a safe distance from Edward, but they were still close enough for Ben to get a good look. He did not get a chance to feed them, as none would approach their car as they did others, but he did not seem too disappointed.

Edward glanced over at him, his other hand grasping Ben's, and was again amazed that Bella's son also did not seem to register that Edward's skin was hard and cold, whereas his mother's was soft and warm. But, then again, the little guy had not had much loving contact from another male, so maybe he thought all men were all hard and cold.

Edward thought back through their weekly sessions that they had been having in the last month since the car accident; he knew Ben had not had much in the way of positive male role models in his short life so far and he walked with the cocksure attitude of someone who thought they had it all figured out.

"_How are you doing, Ben?"_

"_Fine."_

"_Can you do something for me?"_

"'_Kay."_

"_Can you draw me a picture of your family before you moved here?" While Bella's thoughts were blocked to him, Ben's were not and he had been getting flashes of a blonde-haired man; he wanted to know who this man was._

_Ben had taken a piece of paper and some crayons and had drawn the picture as asked. When he showed it to Edward, he clenched his jaw. He did not need a psychiatry degree to understand what it meant. _

_There were three stick people, all with huge heads and little bodies, in the way most young children drew people. Edward was able to pick out Bella by her brown hair that was longer than her head. Ben had drawn himself shorter than Bella with short brown hair. On her other side, he had drawn another stick person who was much taller than either one of them, but where he had expected to see the blonde-haired man, this stick person was scribbled out with a black crayon._

"_Ben?" he asked. Ben was coloring on another piece of paper, his feet swinging free. "Who is this?" He pointed to the person covered in angry black marks._

_Ben didn't look up. "'Ric."_

"_Is he your dad?" Edward probed the young boy's mind and saw images of the blonde-haired man striking Bella, of Bella laying on the floor, of Bella whispering to Ben to stay under his bed. The man was always distorted, much bigger and taller than Bella. He understood that he was seeing this man the way Ben saw him. He felt the monster within clawing his way quickly up and he had to lock him away fast; it would do more damage to the child if Edward lost control right now. He took some deep, steadying breaths and quickly shut out Ben's thoughts for the moment._

_Ben did not speak; he kept drawing a picture and swinging his feet._

"_Ben?" he asked again, his voice barely steady. "Who is Rick?"_

"_I want my mom," he said suddenly. "I wanna go home." Edward could smell the salty tang of tears and knew the child was close to crying. He thought it best to end their session for the day, so he opened the door to the waiting room where Bella was reading a magazine. She had seen Ben's expression and immediately picked him up and taken him home. _

_After they had left, Edward had sat back and stared at the picture again, allowing his hatred for this man to wash over him. He now knew why Bella had reacted so strangely that day he had asked her about Ben's father. The man had abused her and Ben, but where was he now? Had she left him? Divorced him? Was the man dead? He found himself hoping the man was still alive because he wanted the pleasure of being the one to end his miserable existence, but before that, he wanted to let this man know exactly who – and what – he was and to see and smell the fear that would emanate from him just as he was sure it had filled Bella every time she had had to face him and protect her son._

_He wanted to cause pain to this man, in the most horrifying ways he could imagine. And he had an active imagination._

_He then picked up the paper that Ben had been drawing on right before he left and he felt a strange emotion come over him. Again, Ben had drawn Bella as before, with himself on one side of her. But on the other side of him, he had drawn another stick person, again taller than Bella and Ben, but this person was not disproportionately larger. This person had dark hair and yellow eyes and Ben had drawn this figure's hand attached to his own. Edward immediately knew that this stick person was him. He felt a smile stretch across his face and he stuck the paper in his briefcase. He knew he would keep this drawing forever. _

_Edward also knew that he was beginning to have a conflict of interest and was either going to have to refer Ben to another doctor or stop seeing Bella._

Yeah, real hard choice there,_ he had thought sarcastically._

"Edward," Bella said, pulling him from his reverie. "I want to go in here," she said, pulling him into Port Book & News. She hoped he did not think this anything out of the ordinary.

He swung Ben up into his arms and followed her into the bookstore, smiling when Ben began to bounce in his arms in excitement. "Sure."

"Can I get a book?" Ben asked, still bouncing. Edward tightened his grip, thinking the boy was liable to topple to the floor if he was not careful.

"Okay," Bella said, looking around at the signs marking the different sections of the store, searching for a particular area.

Ben held up his hand, all fingers extended. "I want this many, Mommy."

She turned around and shook her head, smiling. "You can have _one_. But that's all."

Edward smiled at him. "Come on, kiddo. I'll buy you one too," he stage whispered, causing Bella to roll her eyes, but she let them head off to the children's section.

She was thankful for the opportunity to peruse the store on her own. She had an idea of what she was looking for and she preferred to do so without Edward hanging over her shoulder. The night of Ben's almost-accident, she had tossed and turned, guilt keeping her from sleeping. She felt terrible about what she had said to Edward; he had just saved her son's life and she had behaved like a spoiled brat. He obviously had a huge secret, but did she not have a huge secret of her own? Why did she feel that she was entitled to know everything about him when she had run like a bat out of hell when he innocently asked her about Ben's father? She had sought him out at the hospital the next day and apologized profusely to him for her behavior. They had grown much closer since.

However, just because she felt guilty for the way she had behaved and she refused to hound him about the incident, did not mean that she had forgotten how he had walked away unscathed from an accident that should have left him dead. Over the last month, she had noticed many odd things about Edward that she had been filing away in her mind and she continued to look for information that might help her solve the mystery. Today, she hoped to find a book that might assist her in her quest.

She found the Fantasy section and perused the titles until she found what she was looking for. She hoped Edward and Ben would stay busy for a while because she was not sure what explanation she would offer if he found her looking through books about monsters, werewolves, vampires, and ghosts. She finally settled on the _Encyclopedia of the Undead_ and the _Mythical Creatures Bible: The Definitive Guide to Beasts and Beings from Mythology and Folklore._ She tucked the books under her arm and went in search of the two of them.

Ben had finally selected his two books and jumped out of the aisle, his prizes held aloft. "Ready!" he announced.

Edward accompanied them to the register and knew he would have blanched if he had any blood in his veins when she laid her two books on the counter. _Fucking hell. _He had thought she had given up on her outlandish idea of solving the mystery of what he was, but he was obviously wrong. Again.

She handed her money over and took the bag from the cashier. Edward woodenly purchased the book that Ben had picked out and followed them out of the store, for once not listening to Ben's chatter. His mind was racing. "So, what'd you buy?" he asked her, hoping he sounded innocent.

She just smiled at him sweetly. "Just some books."

_Just some books that could ruin my entire fucking life_. "Oh, anything good?"

She shrugged. "I don't know yet. They're mostly research books."

"What are you researching?" _Like I don't know._

Again, that sweet smile. She squeezed his hand. "Just something of personal interest. I'm sure it would bore you." _Or make you fall over in hysterical laughter at the ideas I'm entertaining here._

"You want me to carry your bag?" he asked, almost desperately, but attempting to play it cool. If he could just get his hands on that bag, he could "accidentally" lose it on the way back to the car.

"No, I'm fine, but thanks."

Edward ground his teeth all the way back to Forks, his mind whizzing with ideas on how to get his hands on those books, but she never let them out of her grip. Ben had passed out in the back seat the minute the car had been put into motion, so the ride back had been almost silent.

"You okay?" she asked, looking at him worriedly. She knew he had seen her books and wondered if his weird behavior was due to her purchase; that was why she had a death grip on her bag. _Am I really on to something here? Or is he afraid I'm liable to lose my mind at any minute? That I'm nuts?_

"Mm-hm," he replied, staring out the windshield. He did not know what he would do if she figured out what he was. He was already so attached to her and Ben; he knew he could live if she discovered his secret and ran screaming for the nearest airport. She had given his pitiful existence meaning and he could not go back to merely going through the motions now if she was not in his life. How could two innocuous books have possibly brought his newfound life to such a bitter end? _Shit…I'm supposed to be a damn genius and I can't figure out how to steal two books away from a girl? Well, yes I can, but I don't want her to hate me for it; that's the problem! Shit, shit, shit!_

He finally pulled into Charlie's driveway and picked Ben up out of the backseat. Bella unlocked the front door, clutching her purchase to her chest. Edward gently laid him down on the couch and covered him with a blanket, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw his dreams were peaceful.

He did not know what to do. Attempt to take the books, or appear to leave, then sneak in and steal the books when she was not looking, or leave and just hope the books were full of useless information? "Well, I'm going to head home," he said, looking at her intently.

She nodded. She wanted to start reading. "Okay. I'll call you tomorrow. And thanks for today. We both had a great time." She suddenly walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest.

Although Edward had been with her all day, he had kept his distance and with her suddenly so close, her scent hit him like a torpedo; he would never be immune to it. He felt the familiar burn at the back of his throat and swallowed the venom that was flooding his mouth. He pushed the monster down that was happily trying to force his way up and stood very still for a moment, allowing himself to adjust to her closeness and then wrapped his stone arms around her, granting himself the pleasure of the moment. Edward knew in that moment that he would leave and just hope she did not figure it out; he could never take anything away from her, even something as simple as a book. He had seen her excitement earlier in the day and he would not do anything to dim that sparkle in her eyes. He would just have to cross his fingers that the books were full of nonsense.

He finally extricated her from his embrace after dropping a chaste kiss on top of her head. "You're welcome. Talk to you tomorrow," he whispered, then bolted out of the door. Edward wanted to stay there and keep her in his arms and kiss her face, her lips, but he did not know if he had the strength to keep himself in check in that moment.

Bella watched him go, a slight smile on her face. _Just friend, just friends, just friends, _she repeated over and over in her mind, even though she knew she was lying to herself. But she was afraid. She had been sweet talked before and it had ended in a horrible situation for her and her son; she had to remember that as much as she liked Edward, she could not let herself develop romantic feelings for him. _Yeah, right, haha!_

She decided to focus on the more immediate task at hand and curled up in the chair, her books in her lap. Before long, she was lost in the world of mythological creatures and legends.

***

"Darling, you need to get out of that house. You've been cooped up in there for weeks," Carolyn Anderson said to her son over the phone.

Eric rolled his eyes, even though his mother could not see him. He swirled his whiskey around in his glass and took another sip, welcoming the burn as it slid down his throat. "Mom, don't worry about it."

She sighed. "Honey, I'm sure when they have some leads, they'll let you know."

He had not told his parents the truth about what had happened with Anna. Instead, he had told them the story he had originally told the police, that when he arrived home that day, the house had been ransacked and that Anna and Ben had been missing. He had never informed his mother of his last conversation with Jacksonville's finest. "Yeah."

"Sweetie, why don't you come with me and your father on a vacation? It will do you some good to get out and get your mind off of…things…for a while."

Eric had been spending all of his time searching for leads on Anna. He had been combing the internet for her and had been calling any contacts he had on the East Coast. They were both in the medical profession, so it should not have been too difficult to find her. But, so far, he had had zero success. "I don't know. What if she calls?" _What if someone finds her and she gets away before I get to her?_

She sighed again. "They can call your cell phone. Or mine. Or your father's. We're not going anyplace remote."

"Where're you going?"

"Seattle."

**End Notes: ****The two books referenced are **_**The Encyclopedia of the Undead**_** by Dr. Bob Curran and the **_**Mythical Creatures Bible: The Definitive Guide to Beasts and Beings from Mythology and Folklore**_** by Brenda Rosen. I have not read either of these books, but from their descriptions on , they look as if they would have information in them that Bella could use to figure out what Edward is.**

**Also, the Olympic Game Park in Sequim is a real place that houses quite a few domestic and exotic animals that you can see by a driving tour you take in your own car. You can visit their website at .com if you are interested.**

**Thanks again for reading and letting me know what you think. I always appreciate constructive criticism as it allows me to improve my story! Plus, I just enjoy knowing what you are thinking!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I have not read the **_**Mythical Creatures Bible**_**, so I am not sure if the information Bella finds in there would really be there or not. If not, please just say that I am claiming creative license and just go with it! I did check with my local library and they did not have either of the books Bella bought in the last chapter...**

**Disclaimer: I only own Ben and Eric, everything else belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I'm just borrowing.**

Bella stood up and stretched, astounded at what time it was. She had been absorbed in the _Mythical Creatures Bible_ for the last two hours and had just completed the M's. Bella was fairly positive Edward was not the Mothman, so she set her book down and walked into the kitchen to prepare Ben's dinner. Charlie had called earlier and informed her that he was going to grab a bite with Billy and not to worry about his supper.

While she was waiting for the grilled cheese sandwich to cook, she mentally reviewed what she had just read. She had already ruled out Cyclopes, elves, and fairies; she did not believe he was a demon and she was still unsure whether or not he was an angel. She sighed and flipped the sandwich over before sticking the bowl of tomato soup in the microwave. She still had several more letters to go; maybe one would contain the information that would unravel the mystery.

After dinner, she gave Ben his bath and helped him into his new Superman pajamas, then read him his bedtime story, feeling as if her nerves were wound tighter than violin strings. Edward was such an enigma, and she could not help but sense that the solution was just downstairs, hidden within the pages of the books sitting by the chair she had claimed as her own. Finally, Ben drifted off to sleep and Bella immediately wended her way back downstairs, anxious to delve back into the world of mythical creatures, and beginning to wonder if the macrocosm of legend and folklore had actually come crashing into her reality.

Another hour later and Bella was, however, beginning to feel like a fool. She had spent the entire evening immersed in myth and legend and nothing she had read even remotely reminded her of Edward. Maybe she was imagining things. Maybe he was not an anomaly; maybe she was just nuts.

She sighed and turned the page; she scanned through information about Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for Bram Stoker's _Dracula_. She then began reading about other vampire legends throughout the world and felt her fingers begin to grow cold. _Oh, holy fucking hell. _Her heart began to pound and all she could hear was a roaring in her ears. Charlie came in and said something about a good catch and going to bed, but she barely heard him.

_Cold, pale skin._

_Speed._

_Strength._

_Non-human diet._

_Immortal._

Bella felt the book slide out of her numb fingers and fall to the floor; her mind was absolutely racing. _Vampire?_ How could that be possible? Vampires were myths, legends. Something romanticized by Hollywood. _But aren't all legends grounded in truth?_ she asked herself, slightly hysterical.

She picked the book back up and continued to flip through the W's, although she did not read any of the words printed on the pages. Her instincts told her she had just found her answer.

***

Bella slept fitfully that night, tossing and turning. She was awoken several times by nightmares, one which starred Edward as a classic movie vampire with pointed fangs, slicked back hair complete with widow's peak, and cape; in another she was admitted into a mental institution and restrained within a straightjacket, Edward shaking his head in pity. The final nightmare – and the one that convinced her to give up on sleep for the night – featured Eric chasing her through the forest, finally catching up with her and raising a knife, but instead of stabbing her, he smiled widely, revealing a set of fangs dripping with blood. She sat up, heart pounding, soaked with sweat. She quietly got out of bed and took her old copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ downstairs, hoping it would settle her mind and calm her racing pulse.

The next day, she tried to occupy her mind so that she would not dwell on Edward or his possible vampirism. As it was Sunday and she was off from work, she cleaned the entire house, did all of the laundry, and put a large pot of soup on the stove to simmer. She also played race cars and built a castle out of Lego's with Ben before he fell asleep on the floor. She had promised Edward the day before that she would call him, but she had abstained; she was not sure what to say to him. _Hey, how's it going? So, drank any good blood lately?_

Bella avoided the phone all day so she would not be tempted to call him. She had to return to work the next day and she knew if she did not run into him in the hallway or the ER, he would seek her out at lunchtime. She felt the butterflies flitter in her stomach. How did one confront a vampire?

***

Edward had been anticipating Bella's call all day, but he tried to keep busy so he would not sit and stare at his phone. He had listened to his CD collection and he had worked on a new piano composition that had been in his mind for a while. He had also played Emmett and Jasper in a game of Halo 3 on the Xbox, including two rematches. Edward had tried not to think about the books he knew Bella had to be reading and what she might possibly be concluding. Maybe it would be for the best if she realized what he was and ran in terror. Her blood was still a siren song to him and, while he knew that he would be able to resist the delicious scent she wafted with each movement – as long as he held his iron control – he was also not so stupid as to recognize what could occur if she was injured and bleeding or if she was with his family and an accident was to occur. Edward knew he was basically putting her life in danger every time he was in her presence.

But he also knew he would give up his Vanquish right in that moment if only his phone would ring. _You got it bad_.

"Dude, what is your deal?" Emmett finally asked Edward, who was staring out of the new plate glass window. He had not moved for an hour.

Edward shook his head. "She hasn't called. She was supposed to call me today."

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Edward, you can't let this _human_ take over your entire life! Before she showed up, all you wanted was to be a doctor! Now, all you do is spend time with _her_, talk about _her_, think about _her_…"

"Em's right," Jasper chimed in, picking up on Edward's mood. "You're moping. Did you two have a fight or something?"

Edward ran his hands through his hair; he was conflicted on whether or not to tell his brothers of his concerns, but he knew that if Bella either confronted him or went to the _National Enquirer_, Alice would know and would inform everyone anyway. "No, we didn't. But I'm afraid she's going to figure out what we are. She bought some…books…yesterday…about mythical creatures and monsters. And she promised she would call today, but so far, she hasn't. So…I'm worried."

Emmett stared at Edward for a moment, then fell back onto the couch, convulsing with laughter. "Oh my God, Edward, that's freaking hilarious!"

Edward glared at him. "I fail to see how my utter ruin can be so comical." He looked over at Jasper who just shrugged.

"I'm not doing anything."

Emmett was clutching his sides, and took a few more gasping breaths. "Edward, do you k-know h-how many p-people have read s-stupid books like that?" he managed to ask between guffaws.

Edward was quickly losing patience. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Emmett quickly straightened his face and glared at Jasper who stared back smugly. "Stop doing that shit to me, Jazz. I quite enjoy a good laugh. Anyway, Edward, think about it. There are hundreds of books out there on monsters and vampires and no one has yet to figure out what we are because _we're not your typical vampires._ So relax, chill! She's not gonna figure it out, man." He propped his feet on the coffee table and began flipping channels at lightening speed.

"Well, I'm glad to see _someone's_ relaxed about it," Edward said acidly, before stomping out of the door. He needed to hunt; he needed an outlet for his anger and his worry, and a tussle with a mountain lion sounded as good as anything.

"What'd I say?" Emmett asked Jasper, confusion on his face.

Jasper just rolled his eyes and walked off.

***

"Are you avoiding me?"

Bella gasped at the sight of Edward standing outside of Charlie's front door, the raindrops in his bronze hair glistening in the glow of the porch light. He gave her a crooked smile and her breath caught in her chest. He was just too beautiful. "Um…huh?" _Articulate as ever, Bella._

He raised his eyebrows at her. "You never called yesterday and I didn't see you in the cafeteria today for lunch. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to hide from me." He had arranged his features into a mask of nonchalance, but inside, he was twisting and writhing in agony, wishing with all of his being that he could hear her thoughts, even if only for a moment, so he knew where he stood. "May I?" He gestured at the door; if she slammed it shut, he would have a pretty good idea of what her conclusion was.

Bella felt like an idiot. "Of course," she muttered, stepping out of his way so he could come in from the rain. She _had_ been avoiding him, ever since Saturday night when she had formed her theory of what he was. She had not allowed herself to call him on Sunday and she had skipped lunch earlier that day, too much of a chicken to go to the cafeteria. She had known, however, that Edward would not let her hide forever.

Edward stepped inside and immediately, Ben launched himself at him. "Edward!"

He laughed and swung Ben around in a circle. "Hey, buddy. How was school?"

Ben wrinkled his nose. "It sucked. Logan bit me," he said, showing Edward his left arm which sported the imprints of small teeth surrounded by a large purple bruise.

"Benjamin, don't say 'sucked'," Bella said, distractedly.

"Why did he do that?" Edward asked innocently. _Of all the things that kid could have done, and he _bites_! How ironic._

Ben shrugged. "Dunno, 'cept I took his Spiderman." At Edward's raised brows, he quickly added, "But he was done with 'im!"

"Oh, well, that's okay then." He looked at Bella and knew the moment of reckoning had arrived.

"Sweetie, why don't you go watch cartoons while Edward and I talk?" Bella said to Ben, never breaking eye contact with Edward's burning gaze. She felt the butterflies go on a rampage, but she took a deep breath. He had not harmed her yet, and she sensed a spark of courage that he would not, even when he was faced with her thoughts.

She turned and walked into the kitchen, knowing he would follow. She was not disappointed.

"Bella?" he whispered, unsure of whether or not he wanted to have this discussion. Could they not just keep things as they were, with her in blissful ignorance? Could he not actually get the happily ever after for once in his miserable existence? _Hah! Of course not!_

She braced her hands on the counter, staring out of the window into blackness. Charlie was still at the station and would not be home for several more hours, but really, what good could he do against a vampire? "Edward…I-I need to ask you something."

_Hold on folks, it's gonna be a bumpy ride._ "Okay."

"The day of the accident…when the car almost hit Ben…how did you-how did you stop the car without getting hurt? And how did you get to us so fast?" She squeezed her eyes shut, afraid to see his reflection in the window.

He sighed. He could not tell her; it was against the rules. "Bella, I can't tell you that."

She finally turned around to face him, her eyes tight. "Can't…or won't?"

He drew his brows together in confusion. Would he tell her if he could? He was not sure. "I can't. I'm sorry." _I'm sorry that I am what I am._

She narrowed her eyes. "If I guess right, will you tell me?"

His breathing grew shallow and he looked at her slightly panicked. _Shit. Now what, Mr. Cool? _"Um…you have some ideas?" Hopefully she would guess something completely asinine that he could say was correct, thereby satisfying her curiosity _and_ maintaining his family's secrecy.

She nodded. "Yeah, I've been doing some reading."

Maybe she would just think he was a wizard or something, he hoped. "Well, let's hear it."

_Ohgodohgodohgod_. It was now or never. "Okay. Are you an angel?"

Edward almost laughed in relief. "No, I can guarantee you that I'm no angel." You_ are as close to Heaven as I'll ever get._

Well, that left her with one other option then. "Um…well, I really came to this by a process of elimination," she stammered, stalling for time.

"Okay," he said slowly.

She was wringing her hands. "Well, at first I thought maybe I was crazy, but most of it fits," she rambled, looking everywhere but at him.

Edward nodded, urging her to continue, while silently imploring her to stop. "And…"

"I was reading about…vampires," she whispered so low, he would not have heard her without his supernatural hearing. She clenched her teeth, dreading his reaction.

He exhaled slowly, trying to get a grasp on his rampant emotions. Fear, nervousness, excitement, relief; they all combined to leave him a quivering mass. He took a deep breath before speaking. "And what exactly made you think of me when you read about…vampires?" He felt odd saying the word out loud in her kitchen.

She stared at her shoes. "The book said…cold skin…and pale skin. It mentioned uncanny speed. And strength. And that you don't eat food." She finally risked a glance at his face and saw…respect?

It was pride – he was surprised that Bella was this observant; and he was proud of her that she had unraveled a centuries-old mystery that the majority of humans would never solve, no matter their proximity to his family. Most humans just did not see the clues like she did. But now for the $64,000 question. "And are you afraid?" He did not know what he wished for in that moment – for her to say 'no' or for her to grab Ben and run like hell to safety, away from him and anything connected with him.

She looked into his eyes for the first time since the strangest conversation of her life had begun and she saw a multitude of emotions flit across his face. Anguish, pain, relief, determination…_love?_ Surely she had imagined that one. But she also knew that Edward felt something for her that extended beyond a platonic friendship; she was also acutely aware of how much he cared for her son. What she did not know was why…why he would feel that way about her.

But to answer his question – was she afraid? Yes, she was afraid. She was absolutely fucking terrified. But not of him. Not of Edward. No, she was afraid of herself. She was afraid of her reaction to him. She had sworn that after Eric, she would never allow another man into her life or heart again, but Edward was making her break that oath on a daily basis. He made her feel things she had never experienced before. He made her feel special, loved, desired, beautiful. And she wanted him. She wanted all of him, no matter what he was. Being in his presence affected her in a way she had never felt before, and yes, it fucking scared the bejesus out of her.

Edward stared at her intently, his eyes burning molten fire. He watched as a variety of different emotions crossed her face and again, he wished more than anything to be able to hear her thoughts. But she had not fled in terror yet; that was a good sign. Or maybe she was frozen in fear… "Bella?"

She snapped her mind back to the present. _Oh right…'are you afraid?'_ She looked him directly in the eyes, feeling her heart flutter erratically. "No."

"No?" he asked in disbelief. What the hell was wrong with her? Where were the hysterics? The screams? She bumfuzzled him more than any other creature he had ever encountered.

"No. And I don't care," she whispered.

He advanced on her, glaring, even though his dead heart was singing. Hell, it was ready to jump out of his chest, do cartwheels around the kitchen, and burst into song. "You don't care?"

She shook her head. "I don't care what you are. All I see is _you_…who you really are." '_Shut up!' her rational mind was telling her. 'Run for it! You are only setting yourself up to get hurt again!' But her heart quickly told her mind to stuff a sock in it and screamed 'Go for it! He's completely different from the others!'_

"What I am?" he scoffed, compelled to make her see clearly. If she wanted this – wanted him – he was determined that she would not go in with any blinders on. "What I am is a killer, Bella."

She shook her head defiantly. "I don't believe that."

He looked at her intently. "I've killed people before."

She reached up and stroked his smooth, marble face. "When?"

"A long time ago," he whispered, closing his eyes against the sensation of her warm fingers caressing his cold skin. He could not remember anything so pleasurable.

"Then it doesn't matter to me."

"Bella, there's something you should know," he started, squeezing his eyes shut, hating himself for what he was about to say. "I-I wanted to kill you. Your blood – it calls to me, more so than any other human's blood has ever done. I thought it was someone else at first and I was prepared to kill them if I couldn't resist. But then, I realized it wasn't him, then I ran into you in the hallway, and it hit me that I couldn't hear your thoughts—" He broke off, realizing what other secret he had revealed and expected to see fear finally cloud her eyes, but she just looked amazed.

"Hear…thoughts?" she asked, curiosity on her face. "You can _hear_ thoughts?"

Edward sat down wearily in one of the kitchen chairs, suddenly feeling as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "I can hear the thoughts of everyone within a few miles radius, but the more attuned I am to that person, the clearer their voice is, and the farther away I can hear them."

Bella stared at him as if he had just grown a second head. "So…you read minds," she whispered, her eyes wide. The vampire element she could accept, but this new fact was throwing her for a loop. Maybe it was because she had had a couple of days to absorb the vampire issue, but he had just dropped this bombshell out of nowhere.

"Yes."

"And you can hear what I'm thinking, right now?"

He gave her a small, sardonic smile. "No." _I confirm I'm a vampire and that I previously wanted to kill her and she reacts as if I told her it would rain tomorrow, but I let slip I can hear people's thoughts and she flips out. Go figure_.

"But you just said—"

"I can hear everyone's thoughts…except for yours," he clarified, slightly mollified that he was finally getting a reaction out of her.

Bella's mouth dropped open. _Oh, thank you God! _She would have been absolutely mortified if he had been reading her thoughts ever since they had met. "Why can't you hear mine?"

"I'm not sure. There's not really information out there on this," Edward laughed. "But I figure that it's something kind of like that I'm tuned into FM and only your mind is on an AM frequency, like radio waves."

She swallowed. "I'm the only one on an AM frequency? You mean I'm abnormal, a freak?" _You finally have confirmation after all these years…_

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You learn that I am…" He looked into the living room at Ben before continuing, "what I am and that I can hear other's thoughts, and you think you're the freak? Hah!"

She stuck her tongue out at him before turning serious again. "And your family?"

Edward sighed. She was just full of questions. "We're all…the same." He ran his cold index finger lightly down her cheek and across her lips. "Bella, are you sure this is what you want?" If she said she did not want him, he would walk away, no matter how much it pained him to do so. He only wanted to make her happy.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his marble chest, listening to the air swooshing into his lungs. The absence of a heartbeat did freak her out a little, but she said nothing. "I'm sure, Edward." If she was going down, she was going to jump in feet first with a smile. "I want this and I want you." She felt his stone lips brushing across her forehead and she sighed in pleasure. She leaned back slightly and tilted her face up, hoping Edward would take a hint and kiss her. She wondered if she would be brave enough to press her lips to his if he needed a push.

Edward looked down into Bella's face, with her eyes closed, her pink lips parted slightly, and her face flushed, her precious blood flowing just underneath her pale skin. She looked delectable and she also looked like she wanted him to kiss her. He hoped that he had the control he would need to not kill her.

"Edward…" Her voice was a sigh, drawing him in.

He swallowed the venom that was flooding his mouth and held his breath. No need to make this harder than it had to be. Then he closed his eyes, leaned forward, and pressed his lips against hers. He could hear the blood pounding through her veins, how her heart rate had accelerated to a rapid pace. It was pure, unadulterated bliss.

"Ewww…gross!" Ben shouted, standing in the doorway.

Edward and Bella jumped apart quickly, her face beet red. "Ben! You scared me," she stammered. She pressed a shaking hand over her heart.

Edward wanted to laugh and cry at the same time; he had been so caught up in the moment, he had not even heard him approach. "What's up, kiddo?" he asked smoothly.

"Why're you kissin' my mom?" he asked, his nose wrinkled in disgust.

Edward laughed lightly. So much for keeping it under wraps. "Well, Ben, I was kissing your mom because I like her and she likes me. And that's what two people do when they like each other."

Ben drew his brows together in concentration. "But mommy an' Charlie like each other an' they don' kiss on each other."

Edward wanted to laugh, but held it back. "No, they don't. It's only when two people like each other in a certain way. Your mom and Charlie are friends, but your mom and I are special friends."

"Ooohhhhhh," Ben said, comprehension dawning on his face. "You love my mommy?" he asked, his face serious.

Bella's face flushed a bright red again and Edward laughed. "I like your mom very much," he said. When he declared his love to Bella, he wanted it to be special, so he would contain his ardor for now.

"You gonna hit mommy, like 'Ric did? He said he loved mommy too," Ben said, his eyes intent on the table.

Bella's breath caught in her throat; she did not know what to say. She had assumed that Ben had disclosed information about Eric to Edward during one of his sessions, but Ben had never talked about it and she had not wanted to press him for information. No matter, the cat was out of the bag now.

Edward took Ben's small hand in his own, then picked him up and sat him in his lap. "Benjamin, I will make you a promise right now. I will never do anything to hurt either you or your mom. Ever."

"Pinky promise?" Ben whispered, holding his little finger up.

Edward wrapped his fifth finger around Ben's small one. "Pinky promise, forever and ever and ever."

"'Kay. Can I watch TV now?" he asked, hopping down and scampering back into the living room. The silence he left behind was deafening, his trust in Edward overwhelming.

Edward stood up and approached Bella slowly. He had seen the images from Ben's mind but he had never asked Bella about the man in those recollections. But tonight seemed to be the night for sharing. "Bella?" he whispered.

She shook her head. "Please don't ask me," she whispered, her voice rough. She had not spoken _his_ name since she had arrived in Forks and it almost seemed to her that Eric was from another dimension all together. Saying his name made him real.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "What happened, Bella?"

She shook her head, her hair tickling his chin. "I-I can't, Edward," she choked, tears beginning to spill from her eyes. She could not do this. She had not broken down since she had fled Jacksonville and she knew she would not be able to maintain her sense of equilibrium if she allowed herself to speak about _him_.

He sighed. "Bella, you can tell me. Please, talk to me." He rubbed his right hand soothingly up and down her spine. He could feel the minute tremors beginning throughout her body, could hear her heart rate speeding up. He needed to keep her calm.

"Please don't make me," she whispered, taking deep gulps of air. She could feel the familiar feelings of fear beginning to press down on her.

He pressed his hand against the back of her head, rubbing her back with the other, attempting to calm her down. His rage against this man was aching to burst forth, but he knew his first priority was Bella. He swallowed his anger and forced his voice to be soothing and calm. "Bella, love, think about it. You now know the deepest, most darkest secrets you could possibly know about me. Think about the things you've learned about _me_ tonight. I'm trusting you completely. So whatever it is, you can tell me. Let me help you."

She sighed and breathed in his scent as deep as her lungs would allow until she was dizzy. When she exhaled, she was a little calmer. His voice was soothing, his scent was intoxicating, and his arms were comforting. "I don't know if I can talk about it," she whispered.

He sat down on the floor and pulled her into his lap where she curled up into his embrace. "You can trust me, Bella."

**End Notes: This felt like a good place to stop. Plus, I think it's my longest chapter to date and Bella still has to spill her guts to Edward! How do you think he will react???**

**And where oh where is Eric? In Seattle...or is he still in Jacksonville, plotting and planning? Stay tuned, same time, same channel to find out!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own, Stephenie Meyer does, I'm just borrowing for my entertainment. Ben and Eric are mine, though.**

"You can trust me, Bella."

She audibly heard the words, but mistrust had been ingrained in her too long for her mind to allow her mouth to begin disclosing her entire life history. It was not that she did not trust Edward, it was just that she could not pour her heart out to anyone. So she did what she had always done in these situations – she changed the subject and curled tighter into his embrace, comforted by the stone arms wrapped tightly around her. "Why can you come out in the daylight? I always thought vampires could only come out at night."

Edward smiled at her misconception. Film and literature had painted his kind in a false light for centuries, which had actually been of benefit to his species. "That's just a myth, Bella, fabricated by directors and writers to make for a more interesting story."

She drew her brows together in confusion. "But the girls at work said that your family always disappears on days the sun actually shines – that you take off on camping and hiking vacations. You really go camping?" she asked in disbelief.

He shook his head. "No. We don't go out in the sun in public. It's one of the main reasons we chose to live here. Direct sunlight shows us in a way that people would know we're…different."

"How?"

Her pulse had returned to a regular rhythm, so he elected to answer her questions first, then he would bring the conversation back to this Rick person. _Slow and steady wins the race. _"I'll show you sometime."

She made a noise of contentment and reached up to idly play with the buttons on his shirt. "Does it burn?"

He laughed again. "No, just another myth."

"What about garlic?"

"Myth."

"Stakes through the heart?"

He shook his head. "Nope, the only thing a human could do to kill one of us is set us on fire."

She shuddered at the thought. "Crucifixes?"

"I'm actually quite fond of them. Carlisle has a large cross that hangs in our home wherever we are that his father carved. You'll have to see it sometime."

She sighed and continued to fiddle with his buttons. His scent was soothing to her and she found that her mind had strayed away from Eric, which was where she preferred it to stay. She knew, however, that Edward would not let her off the hook so easily. He was right; he had told her of things he had never spoken of to another human, so if they were to move forward, she owed it to him to tell him of her past. "You remember I told you that I moved here from Jacksonville," she whispered, swallowing hard and chewing on her lip.

Edward heard her heart rate quicken so that it was hammering frantically. He held her tighter and vowed to himself that regardless of what she said, he would only react outwardly in a tranquil manner. He could rage later, after he had left. "Mmmhmm."

She took a deep breath. "Edward, there's a lot you don't know about me." She hid her face in his chest.

"Bella, there was much you didn't know about me until a few moments ago. Let's just get everything out in the open, then we'll both feel better. Whatever it is, you can tell me." He stroked her arm with his fingertips in an effort to keep her calm.

"Okay," she said, more to herself than to him. "Well, here goes. Ben and I ran away from Florida. We basically escaped and now we're in hiding." She let out a humorless laugh. "For starters, Bella's not even my real name." She risked a glance up at him to see him looking down on her, his face relaxed, although his eyes were tight.

"What is your real name?"

"Anna…Anna Russo," she said, the name sounding foreign on her tongue after all this time. "And Ben's name is really Ethan."

Edward cocked his head to the side, continuing to study her face. "You don't look like an Anna to me. No matter what, I think you'll always be Bella." He smiled at her with the crooked smile she loved so much.

Her breath left her in a whoosh. One huge secret out and nothing had been destroyed. "I don't think I could ever go back to being Anna anyway. And I think it would confuse Ben. He probably doesn't even remember what his real name is anymore. But…he does remember…Eric," she said, feeling the bile at the back of her throat at actually voicing his name.

Edward nodded. "He mentioned him a few times. But only by name and in drawings. What did he do to you, Bella?" he whispered, keeping his voice smooth by sheer willpower only. Hearing the bastard's name on Bella's lips was enough to send the monster into a frenzy, pushing and clawing, desperate to rip this man's throat out.

She took a shuddering breath and allowed her mind to take her back – back to her other life, back to a time when she did not believe hope was a possibility. She did not realize she was crying until she felt Edward wipe the tears off of her face. "Sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be sorry, Bella. You don't have anything to apologize for. Just take your time and tell me what happened." He pushed and shoved his base instincts back into the far reaches of his mind; anyone that could cause Bella to shed tears months after contact deserved the worst he could do to them. _All in good time._

She nodded and sniffled. _You can do this…it's Edward. He just verified that he's a frigging vampire for God's sake…_ "Okay…okay. Edward, Eric was…not a nice man. H-he was a surgeon and we met at the hospital. He was very charming, and stupid me fell for everything he told me." She shook her head in disgust at herself.

Edward stroked her hair back from her face, while part of his brain imagined slowly pulling Eric's fingernails out, one by one, enjoying every scream of pain ripped from his lips. "You weren't stupid. He's the asshole, Bella, remember that. You did nothing wrong. _Nothing_."

She looked up into the face that had come to mean so much to her in such a short period of time. She inhaled his scent, allowing it to soothe her, and gripped onto his hand for support. She nodded, prompting herself to continue. "Anyway, Ben and I moved into his house shortly after we started dating and everything was great…for a while. Then, he got caught writing false prescriptions and his license was suspended. He started drinking and one night, I came home a little late from work and…he slammed my head into the wall, knocking me out." She heard a growl rumble deep within Edward's chest and looked up to see his eyes darkening. "Edward?" she asked timidly.

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. It would not avail him for Bella to become afraid because he went all psycho-vampire while she was telling him about her past. He pulled himself back together and opened his eyes to see her still staring at him, wide-eyed. "Sorry, love. It's not you. I just…I've seen memories from Ben and then hearing it from you…just the thought of someone causing you pain brings out the worst in me." He offered her her favorite smile as a way to show he was back in control.

She gave him a small smile in return. "He never hurt Ben, Edward. I made sure of that. I would have died before I let him touch my son," she said angrily, her mind back in Jacksonville.

He looked down at her intently. "I know. The pictures Ben drew of the three of you always showed you placed between him and this…_man_," he sneered, "if that's what you can even call him. But you don't need a psych degree to know what it meant. Ben always saw you putting yourself between him and Eric." He spat the name out as if it was a filthy curse.

She felt her eyes well up with tears at this revelation. She had never known that Ben had been so observant, and she hated the fact that he still carried these memories with him. Hopefully, he was young enough that as time went on, he would slowly forget them. "Oh," she said softly.

"So…" Edward prodded, trying to get the story back on track.

She twisted her fingers in her lap. "Well, it was a cycle. He was sorry, he'd never do it again, he'd get pissed off, he'd do it again, he'd be sorry, blah blah. And it kept escalating. He lost his license for three years and so he just moped around the house, drinking, and hanging out with his friends, who I never did like. So, after about nine months of this, I decided I had to get out, and I made plans."

"Why didn't you leave earlier?" he asked, curious. Bella did not seem the type to sit around and take shit off of anyone, but he realized the Bella he knew may have been different from the Bella – Anna – he corrected himself, she had been before. The name sounded odd to him, even in his mind.

She shook her head. "I couldn't. I threatened to the first time…when he knocked me out, and he told me if I ever did, he'd kill me and Ben both. And I knew he would. He has powerful connections with some people I wouldn't want to cross in a dark alley."

Edward smiled widely, exposing his teeth. "I'm sure I could handle them." His eyes had narrowed again and his mind had wandered to the various methods of torture he could inflict on these people who would have dared to hurt his new family. _They thought they were scary? They hadn't seen anything yet._

"I'm sure _you_ could," she said with a small smile. "But _I_ couldn't and I didn't know you yet. So, I made plans. A coworker figured out what was going on and helped me get some things together. She's Charlie's sister, so she's why I ended up here."

He gently stroked her cheek. "Remind me to thank Charlie's sister, then, for bringing you and Ben to me and bringing life to my dark existence."

She rolled her eyes at his hyperbole. "You can buy a Hallmark card. Anyway, she hooked me up with a guy that did identities and set me up with a place to go, so I started saving up money. Then, when I knew the time was getting close, I put all the cash in a bag and hid it. One day, Eric went completely crazy and stormed out. I knew he would be gone for a while, so I did it. I packed my stuff really quickly, grabbed Ben, got my new IDs, and bought bus tickets for 'Anna' and 'Ethan' to Boston," she explained, making air quotes with her fingers around her and Ben's original names. "Then we got on a plane to Seattle. And here we are," she finished, amazed that once she had started with her narration, how easy it had been to bring Edward in on her secret.

"So he doesn't know where you are?" Edward inquired, slightly disappointed. He was itching for a chance to dismember the bastard, slowly, joint by joint.

She shook her head. "No, and I can't see how he would ever find us here. There isn't any connection we have with the Pacific Northwest, let alone, Forks."

He placed a kiss on top of her head. "Thank you for telling me."

She sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist, settling even closer. She was amazed that she actually felt better now that he knew. "Thank you for listening."

"So, Eric is not Ben's father?" he asked innocently. Now that the walls were down, he wanted to know everything about her. He immediately felt her stiffen in his arms.

"No."

He waited to see if she would expound on her response, but silence permeated the air. "Bella?"

"Edward, I'm not one to open up and share, so tonight is a huge step for me. Please, just…don't go there. That's a whole new breakdown," she pleaded. "And I don't have the emotional energy tonight."

Edward looked at her shrewdly. He was afraid that if he didn't pull it out of her now, he would never catch her so unguarded again. "Bella—"

"Edward, I promise, I _will_ tell you the whole story some other time, but I am honestly too exhausted tonight. Please?" she asked again, softly.

He gazed into her deep, brown eyes and knew he would never be able to deny her anything. He would not press her, but he would hold her to her promise. "Pinky promise?" he asked with a smile, his little finger extended.

She smiled, her adrenaline rush beginning to wear off, the emotional walk down memory lane, along with the huge case of nerves earlier, finally catching up with her, exhaustion beginning to settle in her bones. "Pinky promise," she said, wrapping her finger around his, then sighing in pleasure when he lightly pressed his lips against hers. Maybe Ben would not interrupt this time.

***

Edward ran through the woods, wanting to put as much distance between himself and Bella as possible. He had barely managed to control his rage throughout their conversation, but his thin hold was about to snap and he wanted her nowhere near him when it did. Being in her presence, her scent calling to him like a drug, had been difficult enough, but to then hear her tell of what she had suffered… He had to get away for a while; he needed an outlet for his anger.

The things she had told him coupled with the already distorted images he had seen in Ben's mind had unleashed within him a bloodlust more powerful than any he had ever experienced before; even his desire for Bella's blood held no candle to the desire he felt to spill this…_monster's_ blood. For this man that Bella had been paired with at one time – if one were even generous enough to call him a man – _would_ die. Edward would make sure of that; he would end his miserable, pathetic existence with his own hands. Not his teeth. Oh, no. He wanted no part of that…_human_…to ever enter his body. Edward would never soil himself with the malevolent blood that pumped through his veins. But he _would_ shed it. He would watch with a gleeful smile as it ran in rivulets and streams, finally slowing to a steady drip as Eric's body was exsanguinated, his life's blood slowly soaking into the ground, never to provide life to the evil that was this man ever again.

Once Edward was at least a hundred miles away from Forks, he stopped and perched on top of a cliff, overlooking a ravine, watching the moonlight shimmer on a river below. The picturesque scene should have calmed him, but it did not. His breathing accelerated and he continued to feel the rage pound throughout him; he felt the monster within rattling his cage, attempting to force his way out.

With a growl, Edward relented and allowed his anger the escape it so desperately desired. He felt it take over, felt the overwhelming hatred flow through his limbs and invade his mind. He knew his eyes had turned a deep onyx, could feel the venom dripping from his teeth. He turned to the forest standing serenely behind him and narrowed his eyes, preparing for the hunt that would hopefully satiate his need to kill. He could not return to Forks until he had appeased the monster enough to force him back to his cage; he could not put Bella and Ben in any danger.

He jumped lithely into the thick trees and prowled, looking for his next meal. He was in the mood for a fight and the black bear bumbling along looked irritable enough to suit his mood. He was not concerned about taste tonight, only attitude.

He sprang from his perch with a growl and wrestled the bear to the ground. It never stood a chance.

***

"You look awful…happy," Charlie said, looking at Bella with a sideways glance. "Ed McMahon stop by today or something?"

Bella rolled her eyes, trying to wipe the wide smile off of her face unsuccessfully. "No. Can't I just have a good day?" It had been such a long time since she had experienced a good day and she wanted to bask in the afterglow of Edward's visit. She had thought she would feel bad or dirty after Edward learned the specifics about Eric, but she only felt relieved, light. She did not, however, want to give Charlie all of the details.

Ben giggled. "Edward _kissed_ her," he whispered, before clapping his hand over his mouth.

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "_Really_?"

"Blabbermouth," she mumbled, ruffling Ben's hair, suddenly extremely interested in the Mariner's game on the television, feeling her face turning scarlet. "Oh, they scored a point!" she exclaimed, trying to turn the subject back to one of Charlie's favorite areas of discussion.

"_Run_. They scored a _run_, Bells." He was just as happy as she was to change the subject as anything related to kissing made him extremely uncomfortable.

"Oh. Well, that's what I meant."

"He's itchy," Ben said, seriously.

Charlie took a deep breath. "Ich-i-ro. Boy, if you weren't three, I'd say that was blasphemy," he said with a sigh.

"What are you talking about? Who's itchy?" Bella asked, confused. Baseball rules were confusing enough to her, but now the two of them were talking as if in a foreign language.

Charlie breathed out hard. This was too much. "That's his name. Ichiro Suzuki. He's a Mariner's legend. Now can everyone please be quiet until a commercial?" He had just missed an amazing play at second base trying to explain that no one was itching.

Bella shook her head. "I'm going to go give Ben his bath then we're going to bed. 'Nite." She hurriedly made a run for it. Anything to get out of discussing kissing Edward with Charlie.

***

"Edward," Carlisle started when Edward walked in the door.

"Man, what the hell happened to you?" Emmett asked, mouth agape at Edward, whose clothes were shredded. Edward usually kept his clothing spotless when he hunted.

Alice was standing behind Jasper, her eyes wide. _I'm sorry, but I had to tell them. I saw you…_

Edward peered into her mind and he saw a vision of himself standing in Bella's kitchen…with Eric. He was ecstatic to see that Eric was lying on the floor, much like in Alice's earlier vision of Bella, and he was dead. Edward looked around at his family, who continued to stare at him as if he had just grown tentacles and was speaking in Klingon. "What?"

Carlisle looked at him with concern. "Son, are you all right?"

Edward looked at everyone in confusion. He was not sure why they were all acting so strangely. He nodded. "Let me go change…then we'll talk," he said, cautiously.

He listened to his family's thoughts while he was changing out of his destroyed clothing and he suddenly realized what their issue was. Alice had seen a vision of him killing Eric in Bella's kitchen. But they did not know who Eric was; they believed he was just going to kill some random human. They probably had no idea it was even Bella's house. Some days it was easy to forget that his family could not read his mind as he could theirs.

And Alice's vision also meant that the fucking bastard was going to come to Forks, apparently. _Let him come. I'll rip his fucking throat out and gut him like a fish. I'll make him beg me for death before the end._

He continued to allow the murderous thoughts to run through his mind as he walked into the dining room and found his family around the dining room table, as if prepared for an intervention. _Seriously?_

"Edward," Esme said, standing up to embrace him. "Are you all right?"

He wrapped his arms around her, suppressing a groan. He knew she was only worried about him and that none of them knew the details of the situation. "I'm fine." Well, he was more…in control. His tussle with the bear had relieved some of his tension and anger, at least until the object of his rage came calling at the good town of Forks.

"What's going on?" Rosalie asked, concern etched on her beautiful face. "Is the child okay?"

"If I can please explain, I'll fill everyone in," Edward stated, looking around the table.

"The floor is yours," Carlisle said with a nod. _We're all here for you, son. Tell us what you need us to do for you._

Edward gave him a nod of thanks then spoke. "I saw Alice's vision and I know she's told you all what she saw. I can assure you that I understand it much better than you do and that everything will be fine."

Esme breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God."

"So you're not gonna whack the dude?" Emmett asked causing Rosalie to roll her eyes in frustration.

"I didn't say that."

This statement caused an uproar.

"What?"

"What the hell do you mean?"

"You can't _kill_ a human!"

"You'll break the treaty!"

"Holy shit!"

"Oh, Edward, no!"

Edward held his hands up for quiet. "Please, let me finish." Everyone quieted and looked at him, most with incredulous expressions_._ "Carlisle, I know you do not condone killing another creature, no matter the reason, but in this case, I must disagree."

"Edward, he's just a man, a human."

Edward shook his head. "No, he's much worse. He's a horrible excuse for a human being," he spat, shaking with anger.

"Sweetheart, why don't you start at the beginning," Esme suggested, her perfect features drawn in confusion and concern. "I'm assuming this has something to do with Bella and Ben."

Edward sat down heavily and nodded. "Yes." He filled them in on Bella's past, culminating with the all-encompassing rage he felt toward Eric. "Bella feels sure that he _will_ kill her if he ever finds her, and Alice had a vision several months ago that showed Bella in her kitchen, dead by human hands. Knowing what I know now, I think she saw Bella's future if this bastard finds her. And I _will not allow it_." He stared at each one of them, hard, daring anyone to argue his point.

"I think you need to take him out, eliminate the threat," Jasper said quietly.

"Jasper!" Esme gasped.

He shrugged. "Obviously Bella is the victim here and she will be in danger as long as he's alive. Same with Ben. So, you exterminate him, problem solved. She's free to live her life and Edward's not strung out, ready to snap at any time."

"You do have a point," Carlisle said quietly. "Bella and Ben are our biggest concern. And while I do not support harming anyone, we must protect them and if this man is a danger to them, then, Edward, you must do what you feel is right."

Edward swallowed hard, shocked at Carlisle's blessing to rip his enemy apart. "Thank you."

"Edward, Alice's vision shows you killing him in Chief Swan's house!" Rosalie said, standing up. "You'll expose us if you do that! And what of the child?"

"What about Bella?" Alice asked, looking pointedly at Rose.

"I'm with you, bro," Emmett said, placing his vote out for all to hear, his support for his brother always unwavering.

"Look," Edward said, loudly, "we all know Alice's visions are subjective, so let's not worry about the details too much today. We need to see if we can find out anything about this man, where he is, see if we can find out when he arrives in Forks. Then, I'll…introduce myself," he said with a wide smile, teeth flashing.

"We must be very careful," Carlisle said, ever the voice of reason. "He must never be tied back to us."

Edward nodded. "Don't worry. He'll never be found. And even if parts are…discovered, no one will ever be able to identify him."

"What about dental records?" Rosalie asked. "We _cannot_ have the Volturi breathing down our necks," she hissed.

Edward flashed her another smile. "Not a problem."

Emmett slapped the table, his eyes hard. "Bring him on. He'll learn real quick, you don't fuck with the Cullens."

***

Eric Anderson excitedly checked his email. His BlackBerry had just buzzed, signaling an incoming message and he was expecting a colleague in Manchester, New Hampshire, to be sending him some information. Any minute now.

Eric had brushed off his mother's request to accompany her and his father on their vacation to Seattle. He scoffed. Seattle? Really, what the fuck could possibly be in Seattle that he would ever want to see or do? All it did was rain, and he could see the ocean from where he was. Plus, he knew his mother would fuss over him the entire time – tell him he was not eating enough, was drinking too much, was moping too much. She would tell him that he needed to move on from Anna and work on his recovery program so he would be eligible to reapply for his medical license. Then his father would start in on the fact that he did not pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to send his son to medical school so he could sit around all day and be a damn drunk. Blah blah blah.

He excitedly opened the email from Dr. Mathew Seigler, who was a neurologist in Manchester. He had sent out a call for help to all of his medical contacts on the Eastern seaboard when Anna had run off. He had discovered she had gone to the greater Boston area – amazing what some well-placed bribes would do – and, as a nurse, she had to be working in the medical field somewhere. One did not just up and switch careers. He had sent her picture and description out to everyone he knew with the request to notify him if anyone had seen her. Mathew had emailed him with the news that a nurse had started working at Elliot Hospital who matched Anna's description. _Bingo._

He was salivating, he was so excited. He could almost see her expression when she opened her door to see him standing there; he could almost taste the fear that would radiate off of her as she realized it really was him and then tried to run.

He was shaking from excitement at the fantasy…he would catch her. He would let her run first, let her think she had a chance; plus the thrill of the chase was what got his blood pumping. Then he would tie her up, so she would know she had no chance in hell to escape. He would tell her everything he was going to do to her, then he would tell her everything he was going to do to Ethan.

It was a shame the child had to die. He did not condone child murder – he was not a monster, after all –but Ethan was a part of her and he had to eradicate every part of her from his life before he could move on. She was a cancer that had metastasized into every cell of his being; she had to be destroyed.

Plus, he had to punish her for leaving him, and what better way to do that than to tell her in shocking detail how her child would die.

He opened the email, the maniacal smile on his face reflected back to him on the screen.

_Eric,_

_Sorry, man, but this girl's name is Jennifer Vanover. She's married with two kids, so no way this is the girl you're looking for. Tough break._

_Mathew_

Eric sat in the ergonomic chair for a few minutes, reading the few lines over and over before he threw his glass against the wall, watching as the crystal seemed to shatter in slow motion.

The fucking bitch had escaped him again. But he would find her. And he would make her suffer even more when he did.

**End Notes: Wow, over 100 reviews! I never in my wildest dreams expected to ever reach that mark, so THANK YOU to everyone who has left a review! You guys rock! Also, thank you to everyone who has read, alerted, or favorited this story…hopefully this chapter did not disappoint! **

**I tried really hard to keep Edward in character for this chapter and Bella's revelation to him…I've been editing this chapter all week, trying to make it more Edwardish. Please let me know what you thought! Your feedback is my driving force to get these chapters done and up quickly!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: A long awaited chapter has arrived!**

**Disclaimer: Anything resembling Twilight (this chapter runs parallel to the chapter in Twilight titled The Cullens) belongs to Stephenie Meyer. This is all for my own entertainment.**

Bella picked at the tuna sandwich that sat amongst the assortment of food upon the tray, smiling – not at the tuna – but at the feel of Edward's cool breath blowing across her hair and neck, and his marble fingertips grazing absentmindedly down her forearm.

Ever since their come-to-Jesus meeting in Charlie's kitchen the week before, they had been inseparable, and their tearing down of the invisible wall of secrets had allowed Edward to move from the opposite side of the cafeteria table to Bella's side. As they were now in a romantic relationship, Bella also felt no qualms about eating the food that Edward bought each day as his prop, instead of bringing her own lunch.

"I swear, you could feed all of the starving children in Africa with as much food as you buy and throw away," she grumbled, looking at the tray laden with the tuna sandwich, chips, soda can, Caesar salad, fresh fruit mixture, and pudding cup. "I don't see why you can't just buy one thing since you're not going to eat it."

He laughed lightly, playing with a strand of her hair that had fallen out of the haphazard ponytail she had pulled it into that morning. "Because one thing on my tray not touched would be very obvious, Bella. If the tray is full, it's not as evident. Besides, you can eat anything on there you'd like."

"I plan on it," she said, although her stomach was flipping around so much, she was not sure if she would be able to eat anything. She did not know if she would ever become fully accustomed to Edward sitting so close to her.

He inhaled deeply, his nose buried in her hair, a small, satisfied smile blooming across his face. "It gets easier every time," he murmured, his eyes closed.

"Good," she replied, her voice a mere squeak. Every time he was within a five feet of her, her thoughts scattered and she behaved as if she were a pubescent schoolgirl again. Each time, she promised herself that the next time, she would behave with a little more sophistication; and each time, she managed to appear even more star struck.

"So, I've been thinking," Edward said, his voice low, causing goose bumps to erupt on her skin.

She simply nodded as she was unable to string two words together to produce a coherent thought at that moment.

"I'd like for you to come to my house and meet my family. You and Ben. They're all dying to meet you." He looked her in the eyes, honey melting into chocolate, again feeling unsure of himself.

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? _Dying_?" She was attempting to keep her voice steady as his golden eyes searched her own. _Breathe, in and out, in and out._

He laughed lightly. "Okay, poor choice of words. But yes, they all _really_ want to meet you and Ben. Esme and Rosalie will _not_ leave me alone about it. Of course, if you don't feel comfortable—"

"Oh, no! Of course I do," she quickly interjected. "I'd love to meet your family. And I'm sure Ben would too." She was very curious about the rest of his family as Carlisle was the only member she had met so far. "But…"

"What?"

She bit her lip and looked down at the sandwich which was now torn into pieces. "What if they don't like me? I mean…do they approve of…_me_?" She had been wondering how Edward's family would react to her when she finally did meet them. Would they dislike her on principle because she was a human? Would they think she did not fit in with them as she was not beautiful, like they all were? Would they feel she was using Edward, as she was a single mother and he a rich doctor? _Will they think you smell delicious too?_ She shook her head at that thought, thankful once again that her mind was blocked to Edward's strange talent.

Edward cupped her cheek, causing her to shiver, not only at his icy skin, but at the intense look he gave her. "They already adore you, Bella. Don't worry."

_Yeah, easy for him to say._

***

Bella nervously twisted her fingers in her lap, watching the trees flying by through the window. Edward had picked her and Ben up from Charlie's house and they were going to meet his family. She was thankful in that moment that vampires did not eat; she thought that if she had to sit through a dinner, she would be sick, she was so nervous.

Edward took her hand and twined his fingers through hers. "Don't worry, love. Everything will be fine; they will _love_ you," he said, softly.

She took a shuddering breath and exhaled slowly. "I hope you're right."

"I already know," he affirmed, grinning and pointing at his head with their entwined fingers.

She smiled faintly and swallowed hard when the huge, white house came into view; she suddenly felt very insignificant. "It's beautiful," she whispered, awe apparent in her voice.

"You live there?" Ben asked in a hushed voice from the backseat. His eyes were wide in amazement at the three-story house that looked as if it belonged on a Southern plantation as opposed to the Olympic Peninsula. "That's a mansion!"

Edward parked in front of the house and appeared at Bella's door before she had time to unbuckle her seatbelt. _That will take some getting used to._ He helped her out of the car, then pulled Ben out of the back and easily lifted him in his arms.

"Yes, kiddo, that's where I live, with my family. You ready to meet them?"

Ben nodded enthusiastically, but Bella swallowed hard and bit her lip. Looking up at the exquisite house and knowing that inside were six of the most beautiful creatures on the planet, she suddenly felt as if she were completely out of her element. She nervously smoothed her sweater and her hair.

"You look beautiful," Edward whispered in her ear, causing her face to flush. He turned his golden eyes on her and gave her a soft smile as reassurance. "Come on."

She nodded and linked her fingers with his, automatically feeling better at the connection. "Let's go."

Edward opened the door, releasing Bella's hand just long enough to turn the knob, then ushered her inside. He smiled at her gasp of surprise. "Not what you expected?"

Bella looked around the foyer which opened into a huge living and family room that she thought must have been several rooms at one time. The entire south wall was nothing but glass overlooking the lawn framed by the river and forest. A large, curving staircase led up to the second floor and Bella could almost see the Southern belles coming down that staircase in their gowns to meet their beaus. She suddenly felt a prick of fear for the first time. Everything was decorated in varying shades of white; the walls, the furniture…the carpet. _Oh, God. Shit! Ben's going to destroy this place in 0.9 seconds flat!_ She groaned to herself, already imagining muddy footprints and sticky fingerprints covering the Cullen's pristine home.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked worriedly, afraid she was finally in fear for her or her son's life. Maybe she was actually beginning to respond appropriately, so why did the thought of it make his chest feel tight?

"Oh, Edward," she groaned, "Ben could destroy this place in no time at all. Everything's white! Your mother will _hate_ me!" Her eyes were wide in horror.

"Nuh-uh," Ben disagreed, his bottom lip stuck out.

Edward shook his head, smiling, before turning her around to where suddenly Carlisle and Esme were standing, waiting to greet her. He had strongly _suggested_ to Esme and Rosalie that they not descend on Bella and Ben all at once and, instead, give them a chance to adjust to the family. "Bella, I'd like to introduce you to, for all intents and purposes, my parents, Carlisle and Esme Cullen. Carlisle, Esme, this is Bella and Benjamin Swan."

"Bella," Carlisle spoke, a pleasant smile on his face, "it's a pleasure to see you again, especially outside of the hospital. You are most welcome."

"Thank you for inviting me." Bella's voice wavered slightly, confirming her nervousness, although she was sure they could hear her pounding heart.

Esme stepped forward, reaching slowly for Bella's hand. "Bella, it is _so_ wonderful to finally meet you. Edward has told us so many wonderful things about you. And this must be Ben," she said softly, a look of longing on her beautiful features.

Ben nodded then hid his face in Edward's shoulder.

Bella watched as Esme's expression fell; Edward had told her how excited she and Rosalie were about meeting her son. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Cullen. Your home is so beautiful."

Esme forced a smile, devastated that the scene she had imagined had not played out just so. "Thank you, dear. And please, call me Esme."

Bella smiled, suddenly feeling much more comfortable. Maybe it was that Carlisle and Esme seemed to accept her as part of Edward's life. Maybe it was that Esme was excited to have Ben in her pristine home. Most likely, however, she felt she could identify with Esme in that moment when her hopes had been dashed. "Esme, don't worry. Ben can be very shy when he's around new people. But he'll come around quickly. He's done nothing but talk about coming to Edward's house and meeting his 'mom' and 'dad' for days."

Esme's face brightened considerably. "Really?"

Edward nodded. "Yeah. It took him a bit to warm up to me too, so don't worry." He thought back to those silent sessions and grimaced.

They were both rewarded with a dazzling smile.

"Rose," Edward called, "you can come down now." He did not wish to cause his sister any undue stress by making her wait any longer. He could now understand her yearning as he had finally been confronted with someone he cared about more than himself.

She was at Carlisle's side before Bella could blink, a large, muscular man with dark hair beside her.

"Bella, this is my sister, Rosalie, and her husband, Emmett."

Rosalie's golden eyes had never strayed from Ben, who remained tucked into Edward's embrace. "Hello, Bella. Nice to meet you. Hi, Ben," she whispered, joy shining from her face at the mention of Ben's name.

"Hello," Bella replied, slightly miffed that Rosalie could not even be bothered to look at her when she addressed her. She remembered Edward's explanation earlier of how both Esme and Rosalie were changed right when their biological clocks were going haywire, so she tried to sympathize. Still, surely good manners dictated at least eye contact before one monopolized another's child for the day, right?

"'Sup," Emmett said, raising his chin in greeting, a wide smile plastered on his face. He could already imagine the fun he could have with Bella; she looked as if she could take his teasing better than most humans.

Her eyebrows raised in greeting, shock evident at the apparent openness with which he greeted her. She was still on her guard, images of Rosalie snatching Ben from Edward's arms then running away invading her mind. Again, she was grateful that Edward was blocked from her mental horror film. "Hey."

Suddenly, a small, graceful woman pranced into the room and Bella had difficulty keeping her lower jaw from dropping to the floor. She had believed the others moved with a beauty most dancers would kill for, but this girl practically glided with an otherworldly grace with every step she took. She was beautiful; not in a Rosalie-type of way, but in a breath-of-fresh-air way, her dark hair cut short and styled in a controlled mess, her topaz eyes shining in a small, heart-shaped face. Bella gasped in shock when she glided right over to her and wrapped her stone arms around her, hugging her to her marble chest. "Hi, Bella! I'm Alice. I'm so glad Edward _finally_ brought you over!" She released her and stared back at her, a big smile on her face.

"Uh…thanks," Bella stammered and was even more surprised when Edward spoke harshly.

"Alice, you're going to scare her!"

Alice rolled her eyes. "Oh, hush, Edward. She's dating you, isn't she? She's tough. And besides, Bella and I are going to be best friends!" She reached behind her and suddenly, a tall, blonde-haired man was standing there, catching Bella by surprise again. "This is Jasper, Bella."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, his words clipped, eyes tight.

She nodded and felt Edward's free hand wind around her waist. Ben was peeking at the Cullens with one eye, the rest of his face pressed tight into Edward's shirt.

Carlisle let out a small laugh, attempting to break the tension. "Jasper is our newest vegetarian, please don't take offense."

Bella attempted to smile in reassurance, but felt her face contort into something that she was sure resembled more of a grimace. This was not going at all as she had hoped. _They all probably think I'm a total idiot!_

"Hey, Ben," Emmett said, walking over to Edward and leaning down so he was able to look at Ben on eye level. Ben's exposed eye grew wider in response.

Rosalie huffed. "Don't bother, Em. Edward's already said he's shy and we all know he's not going to pick _you_ over me or Esme. You're too scary for a little kid."

He glared at her and turned his attention back onto Ben again. "You like Star Wars?"

Ben turned his face so he was able to look at Emmett with both eyes. He nodded then stuck his index finger in his mouth.

Rosalie narrowed her eyes.

Emmett grinned at him. "You wanna play a Star Wars video game with me? You get a real light saber…"

Ben stared at him for a moment before wiggling and sliding down out of Edward's grasp. "'Kay."

Everyone watched in shock as he followed Emmett toward the large-screen television and waited patiently for his Wii remote.

Rosalie growled which caused Edward to laugh. "Rose, I don't think he'll want to play with you if you sound like a rabid dog."

"Shut up, Edward."

He shrugged. "I'm just trying to help. And remember, he'll be here all day and he'll be back. You have plenty of time to play with him."

Bella was staring in amazement as Ben and Emmett began their game, lighted plastic tubes swishing through the air. Ben did not know how to play, he was just enjoying waving his light saber around and Emmett allowed him to believe he was winning.

"Come on, I'll give you a tour of the house," Edward whispered in her ear, while the rest of the family wandered over to watch the slaughter of the virtual clone army.

She shivered in response to his nearness. "Sure."

***

Edward had guided her through the house, pointing out various objects of interest he thought she might find interesting. He had led her into Carlisle's office, where he had also proceeded to captivate her with Carlisle's history, complete with visual depictions through the assistance of the canvases lining the walls. He did not need to be able to hear her thoughts to know she was dumbfounded at what he was telling her.

"And so, Carlisle was working in a hospital in Chicago when the Spanish Influenza epidemic hit in 1918, and that's where he found me…in a ward for the dying. He knew that both of my parents were dead, and so – averse as he was to create yet another creature such as he was – he decided to try with me." Edward looked down into her face, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"What do you mean, _decided_ to try? Obviously, it worked."

He nodded. "Yes, it did, but you see, Carlisle was working on his own theories. He was not completely sure how his own creation took place and he had never been present for the transformation of another vampire. But he was so lonely and had been unable to find another of our kind who embraced _his_ way of life…so he was desperate to attempt it."

She looked full into his honey gaze and willed herself to ask the next question before he stole all of her breath. "And have you ever resented him for it?"

He stared up at the ceiling in thought. "I don't think I could ever resent Carlisle for anything, because everything he does, every decision he makes, he does so with the best of intentions and the purest of hearts. I've never come across another being, vampire or human, who was as _good_ as Carlisle. And I even have an unfair advantage, as I can see what really motivates a person."

She nodded, understanding. "So, you've always lived with Carlisle then? Ever since he changed you?"

Edward pulled her out of the office, softly closing the door behind them. He had hoped to never have to reveal this part of his past to her; she had seemed so accepting of who he really was, he was afraid that when she discovered his "rebellious" phase, she would run screaming for the hills, finally realizing what he was capable of. But he could not lie to her. He began leading her up the stairs, stalling for a few more moments. Yes, he had told her that he had killed before, but now came the details. Finally, he spoke. "Just about."

She raised her eyebrows, encouraging him to continue.

He sighed and mentally crossed his fingers. "There were a few years that I wanted to go off on my own. I guess you would call it rebellion, the I-know-more-than-my-parents-stage, whatever you'd like to call it. I felt that I was being denied the one thing I was created to do, so I left Carlisle and Esme and lived on my own for a while."

"And what did you do?"

_Well, fuck!_ He had hoped that vague explanation would be enough to satisfy Bella's curiosity, but, as always, she was way more perceptive than he gave her credit for. "I hunted humans, but I always chose the evil ones, the ones whose thoughts were vile."

She tightened her grip on his hand, suddenly afraid he would run away after disclosing such a candid secret. "Seriously?"

"You're not bothered by that?" He looked down at her, a strange mixture of emotions crossing his face. He was not sure what he expected her reaction to be; he should not have been surprised, however, that she continued to shock him.

"No. Why would I be?" She looked at him as if he were crazy. "You already told me you had…killed people before and that it was a long time ago. Who am I to judge you? It's what you _are_."

He shook his head before pointing out the door that now stood before them. "I don't understand you sometimes." He pushed the door open. "This is my room."

She walked in and looked around, trying not to stare. The entire room was larger than Charlie's whole upstairs, and the south wall was made of glass which overlooked the same view as the living room. One wall was nothing but shelves that had a massive collection of CDs and on the opposite wall sat an expensive-looking sound system. She knew that Ben could demolish it in seconds, so she wanted to keep him out of Edward's room at all costs. She looked around, slightly bewildered. "Where's your bed?" she blurted, feeling her face flush immediately, hoping he did not think her mind had wandered to more risqué things than what a normal bedroom would look like.

Edward laughed lightly. "I don't need one. I can't sleep."

"Ever?"

He shook his head.

"So you're up for 24 hours a day, all the time?"

He nodded, wondering where she was headed with this line of questioning.

"And what do you do at night? You don't work night shift and no place is open around here. So, what do you do?" she asked, curious.

Edward knew that if he was capable of blushing, his face would be tomato red in that moment. _Spy on you through your window every night…_ He swallowed hard, attempting to come up with a way out of this situation. But he had vowed not to lie to her. _Oh, to hell with it!_ "Bella, I usually either spend my nights hunting or…sitting outside your house, just to make sure you and Ben are safe." He finished so swiftly, she was barely able to make out the last part.

Again, she shocked him with her response. "Well, next time, just knock on the window and I'll let you in. No sense in you sitting out in the cold all night."

Edward was actually speechless. _She _wants_ a vampire to stay in her room all night? What the hell is wrong with her?_

"You're still expecting me to panic and scream in terror, aren't you?"

Edward gave her a small smile and nodded. "I just don't understand…"

"Well, you can wait all you want, but it's not going to happen. In fact, you don't scare me at all," Bella said flippantly, knowing her racing heart was giving her away. Being alone with Edward in this confined space was doing strange things to her ability to breathe.

He stared at her, disbelief clearly etched on his beautiful face. "Really?" he asked in a low, seductive voice.

She shook her head, unable to speak, knowing that if she did, the squeak in her voice would defy what her words said. She was afraid of him, but only of what he could make her feel; no one person should have this much power over another. Her heart thundered in her chest and pounded in her ears. She knew her charade would be over in a moment.

He smiled a wide smile at her, all of his teeth exposed, before he was suddenly crouched into a hunting position, ready to pounce at a given moment.

For one brief moment, she was actually afraid. Instead of showing any fear, however, she narrowed her eyes.

"Don't. You. Dare."

And suddenly she was on the couch, Edward's arms wrapped tightly around her, his heaving breaths loud in her ear. She wiggled so that she was able to see his face and she suddenly felt her stomach drop at the position she was in. If he decided he could not control his thirst…

Then he grinned at her before lightly pressing his mouth to hers and all thoughts of death and torment rapidly evaporated from her mind as he kissed her senseless. He could have been luring her to her death and she would have gladly followed him.

"Ahem," he prompted her when he pulled his face back from hers. She knew her heart rate had given her away long before he had kissed her, so she could not use that defense.

"Fine," she said, sarcasm dripping from her falsely monotone voice. "I am terrified, you are so scary, someone please save me, oh please, oh please." She tried to slow her breathing down to make more of an impression, but as he was still hovering over her, she found it rather difficult.

"That's what I thought." He pulled her up, a huge smile lighting his face.

She playfully glared at him as she tried to straighten her clothes. "What are you so damn happy about?"

He smiled even wider. "Just that you're here…that you know everything. And that you're _still_ here."

Suddenly, the sounds of a crash outside drew both of their attention to the window. Ben was sitting inside of a Power Wheels Jeep and he had crashed it into a tree in the backyard.

"Oh, no," Bella whispered.

Emmett looked up and saw them at the window before giving a wave. "No worries! He's fine!"

But Bella and Edward were already on their way out to the backyard, Bella slightly dizzy at the sensation of Edward running at full speed down the stairs with her in his arms. They were outside before Emmett was able to pull Ben out of the Jeep.

Edward glared at Emmett, upset at his lack of babysitting skills. "What happened, Emmett?"

"Geez, guys, he's fine, just a small crash. See?" He pulled Ben out of the Jeep and set him on his feet while Jasper pulled the Jeep away from the tree and fixed the dent in the front. Rosalie was on the sidelines, shaking her head in disgust.

Ben took a few unsteady steps toward Bella, but the crash into the tree had startled him and he tripped over a rock on the ground. He landed with an "oomph" on the hard surface, before standing up, his pudgy knees scraped and bleeding.

Bella saw it all in slow motion and she knew what was going to happen before it did. "Edward…" She called out to him, not knowing what she expected him to do.

Suddenly, the yard was full of the sounds of snarling vampires and she and her son were right in their midst.

**End Notes: Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: A huge thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed this story! I think I have responded to all reviews…if I missed anyone, it was an oversight! I try to send you all a reply to** **let you all know how much I appreciate you all! You guys are awesome! Also, to everyone who has favorited or alerted this story, many thanks! You all let me know that you are enjoying this!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own, yada yada…**

Bella stared, dumbstruck, as multiple things happened at once. The Cullens moved too quickly for her to see their individual movements, but when they were all finally stationary, she assessed the situation.

Edward, crouched over Ben in a protective stance, his back to the rest of the family.

Jasper, being restrained by Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie, snarls ripping from his chest, his teeth barred.

Esme, suddenly standing beside her, a comforting arm around her waist.

And Carlisle, standing in the center of the chaos, ready to take control of the situation.

Bella felt that she must be in the middle of a very bizarre dream.

"Esme," Edward spoke, his head turned toward Bella, his eyes dark. "Please take Bella into the house."

"No, I'm not leaving," she argued, twisting against Esme's leading hand.

"Emmett, take Jasper to the forest," Carlisle instructed, his voice calm. "Alice and Rosalie, you two accompany him and stay with him until he's better." He stood silently as the three siblings wrestled their blood-crazed brother over the river. Once they passed the flowing water, Jasper appeared to cooperate better as the smell of Ben's blood was not so potent.

After they were out of sight, Carlisle spoke again. "Edward, you may let the child up. I'm sure his mother would like to hold him."

Edward listened for a few more moments before standing and lifting Ben gently with him. "Ben, are you all right?" He was beginning to believe that this child pulled bad luck toward him.

Ben nodded. "What was 'at?"

Edward looked at Bella then exchanged a look with Carlisle. He was surprised when Bella spoke.

"It was a wild dog, Ben. Didn't you hear it growling?"

He nodded.

She brushed his hair back with shaky fingers. "Thank goodness Edward was here to protect you and Emmett and Jasper were able to catch it." She knew that all of the Cullens had moved too quickly for Ben to have seen Jasper lunge at him.

Esme grabbed Carlisle's hand when Ben flung his arms around Edward's neck. "Thank you, Edward!"

Edward wrapped his arm around Ben and kissed his cheek, his hand actually shaking. He knew Jasper meant no harm; he was the newest to their vegetarian way of life and it was a constant struggle for him. Hell, they had all been there. He had only reacted the way in which he was designed. But still…if anything had happened… He started when Bella grasped his hand in hers.

"Bella, I'm so—" He knew this was the moment he had been dreading since he realized that he was in love with her.

"Shhhh," she whispered, wrapping her other arm around his waist, so that she was hugging both him and Ben. She laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes.

"Well," Carlisle broke the tension. "I think everyone's had enough fun for one day." He smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

"Bella, I hope you'll come back soon," Esme said, worry creasing her smooth brow.

Bella pulled away from Edward, but kept her hand linked with his; she offered them both a smile. "Of course, thank you so much for having us today."

She quickly gathered Ben's things from the living room, during which Edward kept Ben in his grasp. She worried about what would be said in the car, as he had yet to attempt to pull her into conversation about what had happened, other than when she had cut him off earlier. She felt the butterflies return, this time in full attack mode.

The ride back to Charlie's house was silent; Edward was not sure what to say. _Sorry my brother just tried to kill your son…so, you feel up to a movie tomorrow?_ He groaned under his breath. He knew that he had tried to warn her before, he had tried to convey to her the full extent of what he was. He was afraid that this incident had finally broken through her denials and proven exactly what he and his family were capable of. His biggest fear, however, was that she would fear him more than Eric and that tomorrow, she would be gone – disappeared without a trace.

He walked them both up the walk, stopping under the porch light that threw his features into sharp relief. The light bounced off of the bronze highlights in his hair and Bella thought she had never seen such a beautiful sight in her life. She wished she could capture him on film, but vaguely wondered if his image would develop.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked, attempting without success to make her voice steady.

He stared at her, his eyes widening in disbelief. In the yellow porch light, his eyes resembled two amber jewels, glowing in the darkness.

"Edward?" she prodded.

"Y-you're not scared?" he asked, disbelievingly.

She sighed, and opened the door, leading him inside. Charlie had not arrived home from his fishing trip, so she sat Ben down in a kitchen chair and looked at him, hard. "Ben, I need to tell you something very important."

Edward felt his stomach drop. _Holy fuck! Surely, she's not going to tell Ben what we are! _

"'Kay, mommy." Ben looked back at Bella intently.

She glanced up at Edward before continuing. "Sweetie, do you remember when we lived in Florida? And how you could not tell _anyone_ about what happened at Eric's house?" She felt her stomach churn at mentioning his name again, but knew she had no choice.

Edward felt the automatic rage attempt to rise to the surface at hearing that bastard's name spoken, but he squashed it back, determined to show nothing but calm, cool, and collected, considering the current circumstances.

Ben nodded, his face serious.

"Well, I need you to do the same thing here, when you are at Edward's house." At seeing his eyes begin to well up with tears, she quickly spoke again. "No, Ben, it's not because Edward is going to hurt me. But Edward's family is very special, and other people won't understand. So, if you see something different, or if one of his brothers or sisters, or his parents, do something you've never seen before, you have to remember that you can't tell anyone, except me. Okay?"

"Like what?" Ben asked, confusion on his face.

Edward stared at Bella, his face as confused as Ben's. Why was she not running? Why was she not panicking? Could he really be blessed enough that she would stay with him, even after what had just happened?

Bella smiled slightly at Ben. "Well, like if someone…appears suddenly. Or they seem super strong. Stuff like that."

"Like Superman?"

She nodded. "Yeah, just like Superman." _Sure, we'll go with that._

He wiggled down out of the chair and stopped in front of Edward. "I _knew_ you was Superman," he whispered, before heading into the living room to watch cartoons.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Bella asked Edward, noticing his expression that was a mixture of concern and fear.

He shook his head slowly. "What the hell was…_that_?" He gestured to the empty kitchen. "Are you sure that was the best thing to do?"

She looked at him sardonically. "What? You want me to tell him the truth? Or would you prefer he go to daycare with stories of how you and your family can break trees and appear out of thin air? I'm sorry, but I don't want social services showing up on my doorstep, questioning me about why my son is suddenly telling his daycare workers that his mother is dating a vampire!"

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and middle finger. "Bella, of course I don't want that. But he's only three. Do you really think a three-year-old can keep such a secret?"

She felt her cheeks and neck flush and quickly looked down at the floor. "Of course he can, Edward. Why do you think no one ever investigated what happened in Jacksonville? He's been keeping secrets for his entire short life."

Edward quickly wrapped his arms around her, instantly repentant that he had brought the horrible memories back to the forefront of her mind. "I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't mean –"

She shook her head. "It's okay. It's something we're used to, Edward. Keeping secrets."

He kissed her lightly on the forehead. "You shouldn't have to, though. Maybe it would be best if I wasn't in your life at all."

She pulled back abruptly, her face looking as if he had just struck her. "Don't you ever say that! Ever! I don't care what happens. Today was bound to happen and now that it has, we'll all learn from it and move on."

He pulled her back to his chest and thought about her words. He wondered if she was right. He knew she was in danger whenever she was with him and his family and, to protect her, maybe it would be best if he just disappeared. Then, suddenly, Alice's vision of Bella lying on the floor of this very kitchen entered his mind, and he knew that if he was not there to keep her safe, then she would surely die. What a fucking quandary. There was a high probability of danger if he stayed, but her death was a surety if he left.

"Edward?" she asked, her voice quavering when he did not answer her.

He stroked her hair back, tightening his hold on her. _Who the fuck do you think you're kidding? You couldn't let her go now, even under the lie that it was for her own good…_ "Shhh, love. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. I was just thinking out loud. But you're right. We'll learn from it; the family will get a plan together to make sure it never happens again and everything will be all right."

"Good." She discreetly wiped the two solitary tears that had managed to leak out on his shirt, although she knew he would smell the salty tang. She hoped, however, he would not mention it. Once her face was dry, she pulled back. "Now, when Charlie gets home, I want to go talk to Jasper."

He eyed her for a moment before nodding his head. "Okay."

***

Bella was once again staring at the Cullen's large white house, Edward's Volvo behind her, his hand in hers. Now that she was here, her stomach clenched as her nerves tightened; she felt as if electricity was buzzing through her central nervous system, making her jump and twitch at every minute stimuli. But she knew that no matter how uncomfortable she was feeling, Jasper had to be feeling much worse. "Is he here?" she asked Edward, knowing he would be able to hear Jasper's thoughts from where they stood.

"Yes, and he's extremely upset with himself."

"Let's go."

Edward led her into the house where they found Jasper slouched on the couch, staring out of the large, plate glass window at nothing.

"Jasper?" Bella asked quietly, worried at the blank expression on his beautiful face. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" He turned his eyes on her and she was relieved to see they were the color of warm honey. She had been secretly afraid that they would be the frightening crimson shade that Edward had told her their human-hunting brethren sported.

"Sure." He shrugged, his voice flat. _I'm sure you hate me, Edward._

Edward shook his head, trying to make his brother feel the depth of emotion he had for him. He understood – he understood what his brother was going through more than Jasper knew. The only difference was that he had been fortunate enough to never act on his desires. But if Bella had ever actually bled around him before he had been in tune to the depth of his love for her… He shuddered at the thought of what would have happened.

She took a deep breath, her heart thudding madly. She knew every occupant of the house could hear it. "Jasper, I – "

"Bella, I'm so sorry," he cut her off, his voice holding an undercurrent of desperation she could not miss. "I-I don't know what came over me, but I wouldn't blame you if you hated me."

She shook her head and placed her warm hand over his wintry one, squeezing his fingers. "Don't be silly. I don't hate you. And I don't blame you for anything. You reacted on instinct, Jasper."

He closed his eyes, his face contorting in pain. "But if anything had happened…if Emmett and Alice and Rose hadn't stopped me in time…" He let his voice trail off, his unfinished sentence hanging heavily in the air.

"But they did," Bella said firmly. "And everything is fine. Ben is perfectly fine."

"I'd understand if you don't want to bring him around me anymore. I've been debating on whether or not it would be best for me to just leave."

Bella threw her hands up in the air. "I've just about had enough of this leaving shit. No one is leaving on my account, all right? I'm not going to be responsible for you leaving your own home. There's no point in it anyway," she pointed out, looking him straight in the eye. "Ben. Is. Fine."

"He'll be afraid of me forever, though," Jasper moaned, his hand over his eyes.

Edward shook his head. "No, he won't. Bella told him it was a wild animal and that you and Emmett caught it and pulled it out into the woods. He never even saw you. He probably thinks you're pretty cool," he added with a chuckle, trying to lighten his brother's mood.

Jasper pulled his hand away from his face to finally look at his brother. "Really?"

"Really," Bella nodded. "He's perfectly fine. Not even a scratch…well, except for the ones on his knees, and you didn't cause those."

"She's right, Jazz," Alice confirmed, gliding into the room and sitting down on Jasper's other side. "I've been getting fuzzy visions all evening, but now it's clear. Everything is going to be fine."

"I'm not going to hurt him again?"

Alice shook her head. "Nope. Not Ben or Bella either. Everything and _everyone_ will be fine."

"You're sure?"

She glared at him, as if he had just insulted her in the most profane way. "Am I sure? Jasper Hale, are you daring to insinuate that _I_ don't know what's going to happen?"

He quickly shook his head, missing the smiles exchanged between Bella and Edward. "Of course not, Alice. I've just been so upset – it was more of a rhetorical question, sweetie. You know what I mean?"

She looked at him for a moment, head slightly cocked to the side, before giving him a wide smile. "Of course I do. Why don't you go upstairs and relax and I'll join you shortly." She winked at him, causing Bella to blush hotly.

Jasper turned to Bella and gently took her hand in his. "Thank you, Bella."

"I'll see you soon, Jasper." She tried to watch his movement as he ran up the stairs, but he was just a blur. She then turned as she felt Alice grab her hand.

"Bella, I can't thank you enough. Earlier today, I saw Jasper leaving," she choked out, looking as if she would cry if she was able. "He's been more upset today than I've ever seen him."

Bella drew her brows together. "Why? He just reacted the way he's designed…I couldn't fault a shark if it took a bite out of me if I was swimming in the ocean. It's part of the territory. It's just doing what it's designed to do. If you don't want to take the risk, you stay out of the water."

Edward shook his head at her logic. "But a shark cannot think for itself, Bella. We can."

"And I'm glad you can, because now that's it's happened, Jasper will be more aware so that it won't happen again," she retorted.

"So you'll come back?" Alice asked happily.

Bella nodded. "Of course I will. I trust you all implicitly. Jasper included." She knew wherever he was in the house, he could hear her, and she wanted him to hear that.

Alice suddenly hugged her, her stone arms feeling like vice grips. "Thank you, Bella," she whispered in her ear. "Thank you for coming. I know he'll feel so much better."

Bella hugged her back. "You're welcome."

***

"Thank you for doing that," Edward whispered in Bella's ear, holding her close to his chest and feeling the goose bumps raise on her skin, whether from his voice or the coldness of his skin, he was not sure.

She snuggled closer, the heavy blanket wrapped around her impeding her progress. "You're welcome; it needed to be done. It was the right thing to do."

"So, besides the wild animal attack, did you have a good time today?" Edward asked with a small laugh, settling deeper onto the bed. Tonight was the first night that he was spending inside her actual room instead of in the tree outside and, he had to admit, it was much more comfortable. He had waited until Charlie and Ben were asleep before scaling the wall and climbing through the window, and his patience had been rewarded when Bella had greeted him with open arms. He had intended to only watch her sleep from the old rocking chair in the corner, but she had pulled him onto the bed with her where they had cuddled and whispered in the dark. He thought his silent heart would burst with happiness.

She nodded. "Yeah, I did. I really like your family." She tried to wiggle her leg out of the blanket cocoon that Edward had her restrained in. She did manage to work her arm out and wound her fingers into his hair. She pulled his head down to hers, knowing he would come willingly. The moment his lips met hers, she felt as if someone had submerged her into hot water; her entire body was on fire and she could not breathe. Not that she wanted to; she wanted to keep her mouth fused to his forever. As her head began to spin due to lack of oxygen, she was again hit by the irrational fear that he should not have this hold over her – that he could ask her to do anything, and she would do it gladly, no matter the consequences. She would follow him to hell, which, in reality, she might be doing – and she did not give a flying shit.

Finally, he pulled back, an amused expression on his face. "Breathe, Bella." He heard the air whooshing back into her lungs and smiled at the flush that covered her face and neck. He had to admit that it was a boost to his male ego that he could excite her so much with just his kissing prowess, especially as he had never had any practice.

She suddenly was back in the present and wondered how vocal she had been. "Is Ben…?"

Edward laughed softly. "He's still sleeping soundly, dreaming about flying through the clouds. Very peaceful. And Charlie's snoring softly in his room."

She sighed in relief. "Edward…"

He heard the nervousness filter through in her voice and saw the heat color her face. He wondered what in the world she wanted to talk to him about that would cause her to suddenly become so jittery. "Hmmm?"

She stared at the brand emblem sewn onto his shirt, having no idea what it stood for. She assumed it was a high-dollar item as Alice did all of the Cullen's shopping and she did not buy bargain. Now that she had started this conversation, she wondered if she had the guts to finish it. "I-I was just wondering. Just curious. I-if it would be possible – feasible even…for us to…you know…ever to…eventually…a long time from now…you know." She felt the blood burn her face and wondered if her heart would explode from beating so fast. She had a brief picture of Edward having to perform CPR on her due to death by embarrassment and a hysterical giggle burst from her lips. _Oh, shit…oh, God! Now he's going to think that you think that the idea of the two of you having sex is funny…ohfuckohfuck!_ _Bella, get a fucking grip! _

Edward stared at her face, his features drawn in concentration and slight confusion. His vampire brain was processing what she had attempted to say while also trying to decipher what the expressions crossing her face meant. He had heard enough female thoughts over his years that he knew he should be able to figure this out. Of course, this would be the one time that his genius brain would fail him. "For us to…?"

Bella wanted to crawl under the blankets and never come out. _Why, oh why did you feel the need to bring this up?_ They were just so comfortable, laying on the bed together, that the thought just popped into her head, and she just _had_ to voice it. She mentally cursed herself some more, half wishing that Edward could just read her mind to save her the trouble and mortification of finishing this conversation and also glad that he was unable to see into her crazy thoughts. "Never mind…forget it, it's not important," she stammered, hoping he would just forget what she had said and begin discussing something mundane. _Fat chance_.

His perfect features were scrunched up, his mind working at a feverish pace. "No, I don't want to forget it. If you brought it up, it must be important."

"Edward, just forget it," she growled, praying for the Earth to open up and swallow her whole.

He stared off into space. "Love, you're going to have to clue me in, because I'm sorry, but I can't read your mind," he said with a small chuckle at his little joke, hoping to reverse whatever strange mood she was suddenly in.

"Sex," she whispered so low, she hoped his supernatural hearing would not be able to pick it up, but of course, Bella was not a lucky person. She dived under the covers when she heard his sharp intake of breath, knowing he had heard that small little word. "Just forget it," she mumbled, then flipped over and buried her face in the pillow when Edward pulled the covers off of her.

Edward was shocked. Stunned. Totally fucking dumbfounded. But he knew that to say _that_ to her would make her feel even worse. "Bella?" He turned her over easily and smiled to himself when she swiftly covered her face with her hands.

"I said just forget it, Edward," she mumbled. "It was stupid to even bring it up. I don't know why I even did."

He sighed, and pulled her to his chest. "Bella, there is nothing I would love more than to be with you in that way. I don't have the words to express how much I love you. I would make a deal with Satan himself right now, if he would make me human for one day, so that I could make love to you. But…I don't think it's possible for us to be together…physically."

She pulled her hands away from her face at the pain in his voice. "Why?" She felt slightly braver at his willingness to discuss the topic without laughing.

He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. "How to explain this to you without frightening you?" he murmured to himself.

She glared at him. "After today, you mean? Just spit it out. I think I can take it."

Edward smiled at her slightly. "Yes, I see what you mean. You continue to take me by surprise. Well, Bella, I don't think we could ever have a physical relationship – more than what we have now, anyway – for the simple fact that I don't want to kill you."

"Oh."

He nodded. "Humans don't realize how utterly _fragile_ they really are. I have to maintain constant control when I'm with you at all times and, from what I understand, sexual relations for our kind are second only to the consumption of human blood. And when we taste human blood – going back to your shark analogy earlier – you've seen episodes on the Discovery Channel of how sharks behave when a piece of raw meat is thrown into their midst? This is somewhat how we behave when we taste human blood – a frenzy begins and our base instincts take over. We have no control until the victim is drained. So, I don't know if I would be able to maintain that control if I were to make love to you. I may not even realize that I was on the verge of killing you until it was too late. And I will _never_ take that chance with you. You are too precious to me." He stroked her hair back from her face, his tawny eyes shining with the love he felt for her. "Although, if you feel that this…arrangement is not enough for you, I would not stop you from leaving me. I understand that humans have…needs."

She closed her eyes and covered his hand with her own. "No, Edward. I don't want anyone but you. I-I was just curious, that's all." She felt the blood color her face again and heard Edward chuckle softly at her embarrassment.

"I don't want you to be missing a vital part of your life, Bella, for being with me," he insisted.

She rolled her eyes. "It's fine. Now, can we talk about something else," she begged.

"You brought it up."

"And I'm sorry I did."

He chuckled again. "Your wish is my command. What would you like to do tomorrow?" he inquired, earning a sigh of relief from her that the subject was now officially changed.

She chewed on her bottom lip in thought for a moment. "Well, I need to do a bit of shopping, actually. Ben needs a better fall wardrobe, considering the weather here is not what we were accustomed to in Florida."

"God, don't tell Alice. Charlie will have to remodel to hold everything she'll buy for him," he laughed.

She shuddered at the idea. "No, he doesn't need all of that."

"So what do you want to do?"

She smiled up at him. "Are you up for a trip to Seattle tomorrow?"

He kissed her lightly. "As I said, your wish is my command."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Okay, first of all, I want to warn you all now that this chapter is shorter than the others. I do apologize for this, but that was just how the chapter worked out. It is a very important chapter, however, and is a very necessary step in moving us toward the ending. **

**Speaking of which, we are getting much closer to the end. I am not sure how many more chapters we have to go because this story is basically writing itself at this point, but we are getting much closer. But I do hope that the final chapters will be well worth it!**

**As always, I just want to thank everyone who has been reading and reviewing...you guys are awesome and every review gets me so excited about keeping this story going.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Twilight. I do own Ben and Eric.**

"I can't believe you," Bella grumbled, scowling at the bags in Edward's hand.

"What?" he shrugged innocently. "You said he needed new clothes."

She turned her wrath on him. "Yeah, but I didn't mean for _you_ to buy them. You know how I feel about that."

"Well, then, you should have been faster."

"I all but danced naked trying to get the salesgirl's attention so she would take _my_ card, but you had her so…so…_dazzled_…that I don't think she even knew I existed," Bella said, exasperated.

Edward smirked. "I can't help it if she was captivated by my charm."

She narrowed her eyes. "You did it on purpose."

He put his hand over his unbeating heart in mock pain. "Bella, you know I see only you. I wouldn't even dream of dazzling another woman – unless it's to get something I want."

She smacked him with the shopping bag in her hand, pressing her lips into a thin line. "Stop joking – I mean it. You know that I don't feel comfortable with you buying stuff for me."

He sighed. "Bella, I don't understand your aversion to me spending money on you. I have more than enough. And I have all the time in the world to make more."

She stared straight ahead at the groups of people on the sidewalk; some were residents of Seattle who were out walking pets, jogging, or running errands. Others were sightseeing, evident by the tour books in their back pockets and cameras around their necks. "Edward, for a year, I was basically treated like someone's property. He made me feel as if he owned me. Every little thing he bought for me, I had to…pay for in other ways. Now that I'm on my own, I don't ever want to be dependent on anyone, ever again."

He placed an icy hand on the back of her neck and pulled her close. "You'll never be my _property_, Bella. I like to spend money on you because it makes me feel good – and I want you to have nice things. There have been few facets of my existence that I've truly enjoyed, but being able to buy things for you brings me immense pleasure. For the first time, I feel that I can enjoy the money I have, as long as I can use it on you and Ben. And with Alice as my stockbroker, my future portfolio can only grow," he added with a smile.

She chewed on her bottom lip, mulling over his words. He had caused her to break more promises to herself in the last five months than she ever had in her entire life. She did not want him spending money on her; regardless of how he explained it, it made her feel _owned_. But she also longed for him to be happy; she had seen his face as they had walked out of the store and he had appeared so carefree and just…_happy_. And really, what were a couple of bags of clothes? _It's not like he's buying me a new car. _"All right, fine," she grumbled. "I'll keep the clothes, but that's it for today. And I'm buying lunch."

"I find that perfectly acceptable," he agreed, a smile on his face.

"I want pizza," Ben piped in.

"And what would you like, Edward?" she asked, smiling sweetly up at him.

He smiled back at her before picking up Ben. "Pizza sounds _wonderful_."

They walked down Alki Avenue, promising Ben he could play in the park by the beach after lunch, and stopped in Pegasus Pizza. Bella and Ben ordered drinks, while Edward, of course, ordered nothing.

"Why ain't you gettin' nothin', Edward?" Ben asked, poking his straw into his spill-proof cup.

Bella raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for his explanation.

Edward smiled at Ben. "Oh, I'm not thirsty. I ate before we left this morning." He looked pointedly at Bella, his topaz eyes light.

Ben scrunched up his face in concentration. "But that was a long time 'go."

Bella smiled at him.

Edward propped his chin in his hand. "Yeah, but I'm just not hungry. You two go ahead."

Ben started coloring on the children's placemat with the crayons the waitress had given him. "'Kay. I want cheese on mine, mommy."

She nodded and placed their order when the waitress came to their table, gritting her teeth at the way the girl was ogling Edward. It was of little comfort to her that Edward did not even seem to notice the human standing right beside him. And in all rationality, she could not blame the woman – Edward drew stares regardless of where he was, and it was not as if she was immune to his charm either.

She and Ben ate their pizza, Ben giggling at the cheese as it would string out and Bella laughing quietly at the look of revulsion on Edward's face at their meal of choice.

"That looks disgusting," he muttered to her.

She shrugged, taking another big bite. "Yeah, well, I'm sure your dinner would look gross to me too."

He nodded in acquiesce of that fact. "Yes, I'm sure you would be right."

Once they were finished, she paid the check, daring him with her stare to raise an objection. He sat very still, however, when she handed the cash over to the waitress, and Bella finally rewarded him with a radiant smile. "Thank you," she said firmly. "For everything."

He nodded. "You're welcome."

They left the restaurant, walking side by side, Bella's left hand holding Ben's and her other carrying a shopping bag. Bella kept her eyes averted from all of the shopping bags hanging from Edward's hands and instead looked at the people out enjoying the overcast day in Seattle. They crossed the road quickly so they could walk around Alki Beach Park before heading back to Forks.

Bella was people watching, letting Edward lead her down the sidewalk, when her eyes suddenly locked on a face she had never expected to see again.

Soft blue eyes. Slightly wrinkled face, ready for its next Botox injection. Salon-styled, light blonde hair with graying roots.

Bella stopped dead in her tracks, the bag slipping from her fingers, suddenly feeling as if a boa constrictor had wrapped itself around her body, constricting her lungs. She could not breathe. Sounds became nothing but a roar; her vision was blurry – except for the face in front of her. It was the only thing in sharp focus. She had not seen this face in so long, but she would know it anywhere.

Carolyn Anderson – Eric's mother.

And Bella knew that Carolyn recognized her, as well, from the way she was staring back at her, the shocked expression most likely mirroring her own.

_Oh fuck…oh God…shitshitshitfuckfuckshitfuckdammitohGod! _Bella was having difficulty putting together a coherent thought and continued to stare openly at Eric's mother. She felt a tugging on her right arm, but was unable to pull her gaze from Carolyn's shocked blue one.

"Bella?" Edward asked worriedly, confused as to why she stopped suddenly on the crowded sidewalk. "Bella, are you okay?"

"Nana Carol?" Ben whispered, his face copying the same surprise as Bella's.

Edward was unsure what he meant, but he saw in Ben's thoughts a picture of Eric and an older woman who looked…exactly like the one standing fifteen feet in front of them, staring at Bella as if she had just grown a second head. "Bella, who…?"

Bella suddenly snapped out of her catatonia; she snatched Ben up in her arms, grabbing Edward's hand with her free one. "Edward – we gotta go…we gotta go _now_!" She turned, casting one last, fearful glance at Carolyn, before tugging on his hand. If she was _here_, then where was Eric? Was he here too? Bella knew Carolyn would call him the moment she recovered from the shock of seeing Bella after her disappearance. Would she have minutes or hours?

"Bella, what the hell is going on?" he asked her, slowing his pace to force her to walk at a more measured speed. He did not want her to fall and injure herself.

Bella was beginning to feel the onset of panic in her chest and knew it would soon well up inside of her and burst forth; she had to get out of this crowded place before that happened. She could feel the tears leaking out of her eyes only from the sensation of the wind on her face cooling the liquid as it ran down her cheeks. "Please, Edward, hurry!" She did not have time to explain now. Bella wanted to ask him – beg him – to pick her and Ben up and run as fast as he could back to Forks, consequences be damned. But the small, rational part of her brain that was still working stopped her. As long as she was in a crowded, public place, she was still safe.

Edward looked over at her, his eyes darkening with worry. "All right, love. Just calm down and tell me what's going on." He quickened his pace, but his car was still ten blocks away.

"Not now," she sobbed, breathing unsteadily. "Just please, hurry."

Edward gritted his teeth, glancing around. _Fuck it._ His main concern was Bella's well-being, so he scooped her and Ben up and walked as quickly as he could, without arousing suspicion, to his car. Once they arrived, he unlocked the doors and his eyes widened in surprise when she pushed Ben into the backseat and slammed her door shut.

"Go, go, go!" she shouted.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before stomping on the accelerator and squealing out of the parking lot. Usually Bella griped at him relentlessly about his driving speed.

"Faster, Edward! Please, hurry," she almost cried, fingers twisting in her lap.

Ben sat in the backseat, his eyes wide, feet still for once.

"Who was that, Bella?"

She took a deep, shuddering breath. "That…woman…was Eric's mother, Edward. I-I don't know why she's here. And I don't know if that means that…_he's_ here. Looking for me. Or if he not, she'll call him and let him know that _we're_ here, which means he's going to come here, after us. God, I thought this was over," she cried, furiously wiping at the tears that were now flowing freely down her cheeks.

Edward was silent for a few moments, mulling over this new detail. "Do you want to go to my house?"

She shook her head. "No, take me to Charlie's."

The rest of the drive was silent. When Edward pulled into the driveway, Bella was distressed to find that Charlie was still out with Billy on their fishing expedition. She really wanted a loaded gun within arm's reach.

She cautiously stepped out of the Volvo and looked at the woods with trepidation. She could only imagine the places Eric could hide here, waiting for her to arrive home. She felt her heart begin to race and knew that if she did not gain control of her emotions, she would start hyperventilating. "Edward," she called and he was at her side instantly. "Do you hear anyone…out of the ordinary?"

He wrapped his arms around her securely and listened – listened for any evil thoughts lurking in the area that centered on Bella and he heard nothing. "Not a thing. All clear. Let's get you inside," he murmured in her ear and pulled Ben out of the car, leading them into the house.

Once inside, she glanced around the living room and kitchen, expecting Eric to jump out at her at any moment. When nothing happened, she ran for the stairs. Her fight or flight defense mechanism had been kick started and she knew what she had to do. She had tried to fight back against Eric once before and it had only made things worse. Flight had worked for a time, so she had to prepare herself and Ben to run again.

She sprinted up the stairs, tripping twice, before pushing the door open and running to the closet. She dug around until she found her reliable backpack and threw it on the bed. Edward followed her into the room silently and sat Ben down in the rocking chair. He sat and stared at his mother, who was pulling clothes out of dresser drawers wildly, with wide, brown eyes.

Edward leaned against the closet door. "Bella, what are you doing?"

She threw a pile of Ben's clothes on the bed. "I'm sorry, Edward, but I-I've got to go. I've got to get out of here. He-he'll come looking for me."

Edward stared at her in confusion. "Okay…so, why are you leaving?"

She turned around quickly, her eyes wild. "_Why_? Because he wants to kill me! And Ben! And I can't let Charlie get hurt…or your family... It's just not safe for me to be here, around anyone I care about…"

"I thought you said you'd had enough of this leaving shit."

She glared at him. "That was meant toward your family, not me."

He put his hands on her face to stop her rambling. "Bella, stop! Think about what you're saying. Charlie is a cop. He can take care of himself."

She shook her head. "But you don't know him. You don't know the…_things_ he's capable of," she moaned, despair saturating her voice. "I don't want him to do anything to _you_."

He pulled her face to within millimeters of his. "Bella. He can't hurt me."

She shook her head. "He can set you on fire," she whispered.

"Is he a pyromaniac?" he asked with a small smile, trying to pull her out of her hysteria.

"No."

"Then don't worry."

She shook her head again. "I don't know Edward. I just don't know…"

He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. "Bella, I want you to listen to me. I don't want to scare you, but _remember what I am_. Think about it. I am the world's most dangerous predator," he whispered in her ear. "He doesn't stand a chance against me. And that's not even counting Emmett and Jasper."

She shuddered at the mental image he had just given her. "But what about Ben? What if he gets his hands on him somehow? He knows that would hurt me more than anything he could do to me," she cried softly.

Edward stroked her hair softly. "Don't worry, Bella. You are safer here than anywhere else. We'll leave him with Rosalie. Take him out of daycare until this is settled. You know she and Esme would love for him to stay at the house for a while. And you know that anyone who tried to get their hands on him…well, she'd rip them apart, literally. Honestly, Bella, that is the safest place in the world for him to be. And if you'd feel better, I'm sure Jasper –"

"I told you, I trust Jasper completely," she snapped.

"Okay," he said softly. "We need to tell Charlie what's going on, so he can be on alert, but I _will_ take care of this problem, Bella. And once I do, you'll never have to be afraid, ever again."

***

"Hello?" Eric said into his phone, his voice slurred from too much vodka.

"Eric, darling? Are you okay?" Carolyn asked shakily into the phone. Her encounter in the park earlier had left her rattled.

""m fine," he mumbled, attempting to sound somewhat sober. "How'sa trip goin'?"

"Sweetheart," Carolyn said warily, "have you heard anything from Anna?"

"No," he growled. _Bitch_.

"Well, have the police had any leads?" She had debated about calling the police station, but Eric felt as if they kept giving him the runaround, so she had finally decided to call her son instead and let him notify the detectives.

He shook his head, unable to comprehend that his mother could not see him through the phone. "No, stupid fuckers."

Carolyn gasped. Usually Eric was much more articulate and well-behaved when he spoke with her. "Language, darling," she gently admonished. He muttered something that sounded to her like 'fuck you' but as she was unsure – and she refused to believe her darling son would speak to her in such a manner – she decided to pretend that she had heard nothing. "Well, I have something to share with you."

Like he cared about some mundane detail about his parents' boring fucking vacation in the Godforsaken city of Seattle. He could care less – but as his parents were now covering his bills as he was unable to practice and had gone through his savings – he had no choice but to suck it up and pretend to be interested. "Really? Whazzat?" he slurred.

She took a deep breath. "Well, I ran into…Anna…today."

That got his attention. He sat up quickly, knocking the vodka bottle into the floor, not caring about the clear liquid ruining the hardwood floor. The sudden change in his equilibrium made his head spin. "Anna? My Anna?"

"Yes. She was in Seattle."

"What the fuck was she doing in Seattle?" he shouted into the phone.

Carolyn clucked again at his free use of profanities. "I don't know. We didn't speak. But she didn't look as if she was…being held against her will, Eric. She looked happy…or at least she did until she saw me."

Fucking hell, that Goddamn bitch was going to die. She had left him and run off to fucking Seattle where she was _happy_. While he was wallowing in misery over _her_. Oh, hell no. "Are you sure?" he choked out, anger making his hands shake.

"Oh, yes. Ethan was with her and they were with this very nice looking young man. And they both seemed very happy. Eric, are you sure there isn't something you want to tell me about when Anna disappeared?" she asked warily.

Eric threw a lamp against the wall, feeling a small amount of satisfaction at the resounding crash it made as it shattered. She was in fucking Seattle…she was happy…and she was with a man. A nice looking man. She was happy with a nice looking man. His girl was fucking some other guy while he had been sitting here, consumed with finding her. Worried about her. Now the bitch had gone and signed the death warrant on her new _man_ because this dickhead was going to die for ever thinking that he could touch what belonged to him.

"Eric?" Carolyn asked again when she received no answer.

"No, mom, there's nothing," he clipped out. "What did she do when she saw you?"

"Well, she looked sick all of a sudden, then she grabbed Ethan and the man she was with and ran off."

"Okay, thanks, mom," he choked out, rage blinding him. He would search the entire state of Washington, hell the entire West Coast, if he had to. But now he knew where she was. He was going to find her. And he was going to make her wish she had never even been born.

**End Notes: Give me a shout and let me know what you think! I've discovered that those emails in my inbox that say 'Review Alert' make my day like nothing else can! They might even excite me so much I post another chapter in the next few days (if I get enough of them)!**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: ****Thanks again to everyone who has read and reviewed! I can't say it enough, but you are all awesome! Also, whoever nominated this story for the Indie Twific Awards - I'm deeply honored. Thank you...I just can't say it enough!**

**Also, check us out on the forums at 'twilighted dot net backslash foum backslash viewtopic dot php?f=33&t=5068&p=582809#p582809'**** We're there under Alternate Universe and "Deliver Me From Evil." Drop us a note and say hi or come over and beat up on Eric! Whatever you'd like to do!**

**And the song lyrics belong to Eminem from the song "Kim." And as promised, here is the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Twilight. I do own Ben and Eric, which is unfortunate for him because that means I get to do whatever I want to him. **

"American Airlines, how may I help you?"

The perky voice made Eric grit his teeth. "I need to book a ticket to Seattle from Jacksonville for the earliest flight you've got." He heard keys clicking in the background.

"Sir, we have a flight scheduled to leave tonight at nine o'clock and then there is a flight scheduled in the morning at six. Those are the two earliest we have available."

"I'll take the nine o'clock tonight." He poured another cup of coffee and took a huge gulp, ignoring the blistering burn as it scorched his throat. If he needed to be at the airport in an hour, it was essential that he be sober. He would be downright pissed if he was denied boarding now that he had ascertained where Anna was.

More clicking. "I need your credit card number, sir," Perky Girl said. He grumbled the numbers to her, wishing he had done this over the internet. Once he scribbled his confirmation number down, he clicked the button to terminate the call, ignoring the squeaky "Thank you for calling –" Ugh. He hated fucking chipper people.

He downed more of the scalding liquid while he packed a suitcase, feeling the sobering effects as the caffeine began to enter his bloodstream, hopefully overriding some of the alcohol. He threw jeans, t-shirts, and underwear into the small carry-on; he wished he could hide his gun in there as well, but with the way airline security was these days… Hell, they went fucking nuts over a large bottle of shampoo, so there was no way he would be able to get a damn firearm on board. At least, not without a visit from the fucking FBI. And that, he did not want.

Well, he was confident he could purchase one in Seattle. He would just have to find out where he could buy one without a permit. Then again, a large knife sounded like much more fun. And that, he could get at any kitchen store – no questions asked.

He grabbed his cash stash – no reason his parents needed to know about that – and palmed his keys. His vision was still slightly blurry, so he stopped at Starbucks for another large coffee. His drinking days were over. The time for his revenge had come and he needed to be wholly sober because he did not want to miss one iota of Anna's terror when she received that first glimpse of him.

He sped down the interstate toward his destination, sliding the first CD his hand landed on into the radio. _Ahhh, very appropriate_, he thought, and sang as loud as his voice would allow with the lyrics.

_So long, bitch you did me so wrong_

_I don't want to go on_

_Living in this world without you_

_So long, bitch you did me so wrong_

_I don't want to go on_

_Living in this world without you_

***

Bella sat on the worn couch, her knee bouncing quickly; she stared at the cartoon characters running across the television screen without actually seeing them. She only had one thought racing through her mind: _Eric. He's coming for me. He's coming for Ben. _She glanced over at Edward, who was sitting beside her, and the phrase 'still as a statue' popped into her mind. Whereas she had been fidgeting from the moment they had come downstairs to await Charlie's arrival home, Edward had not moved a muscle.

At the sound of tires crunching on gravel outside, Bella tensed and a soft cry escaped her lips. Instantly, Edward had his arms around her. "Shh, Bella. It's just Charlie."

She relaxed against him, not realizing how tense she had been until that moment. The adrenaline that had been coursing through her veins since she had spotted Carolyn in Seattle was beginning to ebb, and would soon leave her a sobbing pile of mush. Before that occurred, she crawled into Edward's lap and allowed his cold, stone arms to soothe her ragged nerves. He was familiar; he was comforting. He was her haven.

She heard the front door open and she could not prevent the nervous jump the sound triggered. She heard Charlie stomp his boots against the doormat and she could not miss him clearing his throat. Bella knew that she should feel embarrassment at being cradled in Edward's arms in front of him, but she could not bring herself to care. There was nothing sensual about their embrace; it was pure comfort and safety he provided in that moment.

"Hey, Bella. Edward," Charlie greeted, mostly so they would acknowledge his presence and break away from each other. Their closeness was making him uncomfortable.

Bella did not speak, so Edward took the initiative. "Charlie. We're glad you're home. There is something urgent we need to speak with you about."

Charlie looked from Edward's somber expression to Bella's tear-streaked face. _Oh, my God. She's pregnant!_ He knew that while he was not Bella's father, he felt a sense of responsibility toward her and Ben, and he felt that that gave him certain rights, regardless of the fact that she was an adult.

And as he was a small-town cop, it never crossed his mind there might be something more sinister lurking, just outside of his periphery.

Edward hid his amusement at the thoughts running through Charlie's mind. This was no time for humor as he did not think Bella would appreciate it much. "Charlie," he spoke again as Charlie had not recovered from his internal monologue enough to reply. "When Bella, Ben, and I were in Seattle today, we had the misfortune of running into an old acquaintance of hers. More specifically, Eric's mother."

Charlie stared between Bella and Edward for a few moments, processing what he had just heard. He was instantly in police mode. "Did she see you?" Bella's appearance and posture was making much more sense to him now; he would almost have preferred that she _was_ pregnant.

Bella nodded. "Yes," she whispered.

"And where is Eric?"

She shook her head. "I don't know."

"My brothers are working on that," Edward offered.

Charlie nodded. "I'll go down to the station and run him through our system too. See if he's been picked up on anything."

"I'm going to take Ben to my house for a while, until we find him." Edward looked over at Ben, who was now watching the adult conversation instead of his cartoons. _He shouldn't even know monsters like this exist._

"He can stay here," Charlie said, stiffening slightly. "He'd be safe here with me."

Bella looked over at Charlie. "I know, Charlie," she said, quietly. "But you'll be at work much of the time and there are always several people at Edward's house. I'm not even going to send him to daycare until this is taken care of." _Plus, he'll be safer in a house full of vampires that can rip Eric to pieces if he shows up there._

He nodded, his shoulders sagging. "You're right. I just don't want anything to happen to either of you."

"I know."

Edward stood, pulling Bella with him. "Charlie, if you hear anything, will you let me know? And if we find something, we'll do the same."

Charlie nodded. "Sure. Be careful, Bells." He pulled her into a rough hug, his face flushing a deep red before grabbing Ben and squeezing him so tightly, Ben's face turned red as well. "Take care of these two, Edward. They're family to me, ya know."

Edward nodded. "I'll protect them with my life."

***

Bella followed Edward into the Cullen's sprawling home and immediately felt better once she had Ben ensconced in its walls. She could face whatever Eric brought her way, as long as Ben was protected by the vampires she had come to know and love. She did stop short, however, when Edward led her into the dining room and all six of the Cullens were sitting around the table, engrossed in conversation.

"Oh, sorry," she mumbled. "I didn't mean to interrupt. We'll just go wait in the living room." She started to lead Ben out, but Edward stopped her.

"Bella, they're discussing the situation regarding Eric. You need to be here." Edward pulled out a chair for her.

"I don't want to intrude."

"Bella," Carlisle said with a smile in her direction. "Welcome again. I do wish it was under better circumstances. You are not intruding; we _need_ your input, especially as you are familiar with this man and know his habits. Please," he gestured toward the chair Edward had removed from the table for her.

She sat quietly, nervous at the prospect of sharing her life history with the seven vampires in the room. Suddenly, a feeling of calm washed over her and she threw a grateful smile at Jasper. She quickly gave them the abridged version of her time with Eric – anything that might assist them with finding him before he found her.

"Now, Alice has told us what she saw occur earlier today in Seattle. Is there anything else that has happened?" Carlisle asked Edward.

Edward shook his head. He had seen that Alice's vision accurately portrayed their encounter with Eric's mother. "No. We don't know where Eric is, but Bella is positive that his mother would have called him and informed him of her whereabouts."

She nodded, confirming what Edward said.

"So what is your plan, Edward?" Esme asked, worry apparent on her face.

He stood behind Bella, his hands resting on her shoulders. Ben was sitting in her lap, her arms wrapped tightly around him. "We're going to leave Ben here, with Rosalie and Esme. I believe this is the safest place for him. Bella believes that Eric would do something to him – just to hurt her. So we need him someplace that he can't touch him."

At this announcement, Rosalie's face lit up like the sun. "Ben is going to stay here? With us?"

"As long as that's okay," Bella said quickly.

Rose nodded quickly, her eyes resting on Ben's angelic face, her golden eyes full of longing. His eyes were beginning to droop. "Of course it's okay, Bella. He can stay as long as he needs to. And you can too," she added quickly.

"Thank you, Rose," Bella said quietly.

"Edward, what is the plan to rid yourselves of this human?" Jasper inquired. His military training had kicked in and, after Bella had taken the time to ensure that he was recovering after the disaster of her last visit, he would do whatever needed to be done to make sure that this man would never harm her again.

Edward sighed. "Until we know where he is and when he arrives, there is no offensive plan."

"Then let's go get him where he's at," Emmett said. "Let's not wait for the bastard to come to us!"

Jasper shook his head. "No. It would be too dangerous for exposure. If we are to do this correctly, he must be on our turf."

"Well, shit," Emmett grumbled. "I'm ready to take him down now."

"Patience, bro. That's rule number one if you want to win the battle," Jasper said quietly.

"Listen," Bella finally spoke. "I really appreciate that all of you are willing to do this, but I don't want to put everyone at risk." When Emmett and Jasper both opened their mouths to speak, she cut them off. "I know you are not at much physical risk, as Edward has pointed out, but as you just said, you are in danger of exposure. And I don't want to be the cause of that."

Carlisle spoke again and Bella knew that she was overruled. "Bella, we are grateful for your concern for us. But we are not going to let you deal with this yourself. You are with Edward, and that makes you and Ben family. And we protect our family."

***

Bella stared at the full moon, watching as clouds flitted across the silvery orb, and sighed. She felt Edward tighten his hold on her slightly and she settled back against his marble chest a bit more. Yes, it felt as if she was cuddling with Rodin's _The Thinker_ – and she thought that choice fairly close as she was sure Edward's vampire mind was likely racing at a pace that would make her human brain explode. However, stone had become much warmer and more comforting to her over the past several months than human flesh had ever been.

She pulled her gaze over to Ben, who was sleeping soundly on her other side in the huge, wrought iron bed that Edward had had delivered to his room. She had bit her tongue when she saw it, although she was sure the blood rushing to color her face and neck had said everything. After what she had dubbed the Most Embarrassing Conversation of Her Entire Life, she had sworn she would never bring up their possible sex life again. Then, he had this monstrosity set up smack dab in the middle of his bedroom. She had decided to act nonchalant, play it off as a total coincidence… She only hoped that he would not bring up said conversation again, especially while she was laying with him in this bed that looked as if it belonged on a movie set or photo shoot.

"Tell me what you're thinking," Edward whispered in her ear, causing her to shiver. His lips turned up slightly at her response as he knew it was due to his cool breath blowing over her sensitive skin and not his cold body temperature. He had tucked an electric blanket around them just so he could keep her pulled close without worrying about sending her into hypothermia.

_Not a chance._ "I'm just thinking that I feel completely relaxed for the first time today. I'm thinking that I feel totally safe, lying here with you, for the first time since I can remember when." She yawned, feeling her eyes slide closed. All of the stress and excitement of the day had finally caught up with her. "And I'm thinking about how much I love you," she whispered, finally succumbing to the unconsciousness pulling at her.

He brushed her hair softly with his lips. "I love you, too."

***

"Bella, are you all right?" Angela Weber asked the next day while the two were eating lunch.

Bella took a deep breath and attempted to curb the jitteriness that was evident to Angela. She knew that Jessica had noticed nothing, but Angela, being the concerned friend she was, had not been so easily fooled. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just too much coffee this morning," she said with a fake laugh.

Angela nodded, an empathetic look on her face. "Okay, but you know if you need to talk, I'm here."

Bella nodded, grateful for Angela's honest concern. She _was_ tense today; Edward had received a call from the hospital in Port Angeles and had to make an emergent visit to a patient there. He had assured her before he left, however, that she was perfectly safe. Jasper and Emmett were patrolling the perimeter of Forks while Rosalie, Esme, and Alice were at the Cullen's house, keeping a watchful eye on Ben. He had also reminded her that Carlisle was right there in the hospital if she needed him and that he would only be a phone call away. Bella knew she was as safe as she could be, but just knowing that Edward was not within a moment's distance still left her feeling insecure. "Thanks, Angela. Um, there is something. Have you heard of anyone stopping by and…asking for me?" She tried to sound discreet and hoped her friend would not ask too many questions. She did not want to get her killed.

Angela shook her head. "Not that I know of. At least, no one has while I've been on duty."

She sighed in relief. "Okay. Can you do me a favor and just let me know if you hear of anyone coming by the hospital and looking for me?"

"Of course. Is everything okay?"

Bella bit her lower lip. "Yeah."

Angela patted her hand. "Okay, Bella. Just remember, I'm here if you need to talk."

***

Bella finished her shift, managing not to kill any of her patients. Each loud noise continued to startle her and she wondered if she should really have been there. Edward had tried to convince her that morning to take a leave of absence, but she had refused, arguing that she needed to work and that she would go crazy sitting at home all day. Now, she had to wonder if maybe he knew more than she gave him credit for.

"Are you going to Charlie's or my house?" Edward asked, driving her home from work. He had adamantly refused to allow her to drive alone until Eric was…handled.

"Charlie's. I need to get some clean clothes. And Jasper thinks it would be a good idea."

Edward ground his teeth together. "He wants to use you as bait."

She nodded. "He thinks it would be the easiest way to lure him to where you want him."

"Yes, well, he's thinking military strategy only. I'm not leaving you here, Bella," he growled.

"And I'm _not_ leading Eric to Ben," she softly retorted. She dropped the key twice before she managed to get it into the lock, her hand was shaking so badly.

"I know, Bella," Edward said, softly. "I wouldn't expect you to. But I am not going to let you just _sit_ here and sacrifice yourself either. I know you're scared, but _let_ me protect you!"

She stared at him, her brown eyes wide. "I'm not planning on just _sitting_ here, Edward. But if I have to choose between myself and my son, then, yes! I would stay here and let whatever happened, happen, to protect Ben."

Edward raked his hand through his hair in frustration. "Bella, you don't have to play the martyr! You don't have to choose! I _am_ going to protect you both. That's what I've been trying to convince you of since yesterday!"

"I'm just thinking ahead."

"You are _planning_ ahead because you don't think that you deserve the happily ever after! You are planning ahead because you don't think that I can take care of this!"

Bella whipped around, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes, and trying to blink them away. "Stop fucking psychoanalyzing me, Edward! You think you know how I feel? You don't! You don't have a fucking clue how I feel! You've never had to deal with the shit I've dealt with! You've never had to worry about having the most precious thing in your life ripped out of your arms and taken away from you!"

Edward sighed, his amber eyes showing his exhaustion. "Bella, that is the worry that had occupied my every moment since I met you. After all this time, you still can't fathom what you and Ben mean to me."

She furiously wiped the tears from her cheeks and flung herself into his arms. "Oh, Edward. Oh, God, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. Please, forgive me," she sobbed into his chest, feeling the weight of guilt bearing down on her, adding to the burden she was carrying on her shoulders.

He rubbed soothing circles on her back. "Shhh, love. It's all right, don't worry. You've had more than any human should be expected to deal with dumped on them in one day. Let's go." He left her in the living room while he ran upstairs and packed a bag for her. He was back at her side before she quite realized he had gone.

"Where're we going?" she asked tiredly.

"We're going back to my house. And I'm going to tell Jasper that his plan to use you as bait is overruled. It's too much for you to handle. And you are going to take a leave from work as well. You're only human, Bella, and you are not going to be able to handle all of this before you crack."

"Okay," she mumbled, dragging her feet with exhaustion out to his car. She knew he was right. And for once, she was not going to argue.

***

Dr. Stephen Carothers had just closed his eyes, hoping to catch a quick nap in between surgeries when he felt his pager buzz. _Shit. Can't they bug one of the other doctors around here, just once?_ He groaned and flipped on the light. _Front desk? That's strange._ He grabbed the phone hanging on the wall in the on-call room and called the extension.

"Yeah, this is Dr. Carothers. Someone there just paged me."

A nasal voice came back to him through the phone line. "Yes, Dr. Carothers. There is a Dr. Eric Anderson here who says he is a friend of yours and was hoping that you had a moment to speak with him. He says it's urgent."

_Eric Anderson! Well, fuck me! _He had not seen Eric since their surgical residency at the Washington Hospital Center in D.C. He had quickly been recruited by Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and Eric had gone to work for Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville. As exhausted as he was, curiosity got the best of him and he spoke quickly. "Tell him I'll be right down."

He quickly ran a comb through his tousled red hair and grabbed a fresh lab coat. No need to look as if he was still a much-abused intern, as opposed to the highly respected attending surgeon he was now. He wanted to make a good impression on his old friend.

He stepped off the elevator and was shocked by the sight that greeted him. Eric had aged some – and not well.

"Steve! Buddy, how ya doin' man?" Eric asked loudly, grabbing Stephen into a crushing hug. "Good to see you!"

Stephen held him at arm's distance, looking him over from head to toe. Eric was in desperate need of a hair cut, as well as a shave. Stephen also thought he could use a good shower and new toothbrush. "Man, what the hell happened to you? You look like shit."

Eric ran a hand over his face, feeling the stress of a cross country flight and no sleep for several days. He needed a drink, badly. He had not been able to sleep without his normal routine of drinking until passing out into oblivion, yet he knew he needed to be in his right mind if he were to pay Anna the visit she deserved. "Steve, I need your help. Is there somewhere we can talk?"

Stephen's pager buzzed again and by glancing at it, he knew that his next surgery was almost ready. "Tell you what. Take a taxi to my apartment. Take a shower, get cleaned up and we'll talk when I get home, okay?"

Six hours later when Stephen walked into his apartment, he was once again struck by the fact that the man who had come to visit him was not the same person he had known in med school. He decided to let Eric broach the subject, however. He did not have to wait long.

"Steve, I need your help," Eric pleaded, a wild look in his eyes. "My girlfriend is gone and I think she's here. My mom saw her here. She was taken from me and I think she's being kept against her will."

Stephen narrowed his eyes, wondering at the strange tale that was being weaved. "Have you told the police?"

Eric growled. "Ah, those fucking idiots couldn't find their way out of a wet fucking paper bag! Yes, I've told them, but they blow me off. She's here! My mom saw her!"

Stephen was beginning to become slightly wary of the maniacal gleam in Eric's blue eyes. "What do you need me to do?" He was wondering if this girlfriend was a figment of Eric's imagination.

Eric pulled a picture of Anna out of his pocket and shoved it under Stephen's nose. "Have you seen her? Tell me you've seen her!"

Stephen pulled back slightly before taking the picture and looking at it. _Pretty girl_. "Eric, this is a big city. If she's here, that doesn't mean that I would have seen her and even if I have, I probably wouldn't remember."

Eric shook his head. "No, man, she's a nurse. She'll be working in a hospital. Have you seen a nurse that looks like her?"

Well, that changed things. Stephen looked closer at the picture in front of him. He honestly did not remember seeing anyone at the hospital who resembled her. "Eric, just because she was in Seattle, doesn't mean she lives here. There are several little towns around here within several hours that have hospitals. She might be there."

"Tell me."

Stephen sighed. Something was telling him that this picture was not quite right, but he was exhausted and he wanted to get some sleep. "Olympia, Hoquiam, Port Angeles, Forks…" He yawned, then excused himself for bed. "Why don't you crash here on the couch tonight? You look like you could use some sleep. And then you can start looking tomorrow."

Eric nodded. "Thanks, man. I owe you." He took a shower, enjoying the feeling of the hot water running over his tense muscles and he did admit that he felt like a new person after washing his hair and finally brushing his teeth. He did not want Anna to see what she had driven him to.

He looked longingly at Stephen's liquor cabinet, but held firm. He needed a clear head tomorrow so he could rent a car and start on his journey through the small towns of the Olympic Peninsula. "Anna…my Anna. I'm coming for you," he murmured to himself as he drifted off to sleep, visions of Anna bleeding and crying his name peppering his dreams, a smile ghosting across his face.

**End Notes: Okay, you know what to do. Hit that review button and let me know what you thought. Those emails from just make my day like nothing else can!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read and/or reviewed so far. I hope this chapter does not disappoint! We are really starting to get to the good stuff now!**

**I also want to warn you now, there is some violence in this chapter. Not graphic, but if it bothers you, you can't say I didn't warn ya!**

**And of course, I don't own anything you see that looks familiar.**

Eric sauntered up to the reception desk at Forks Community Hospital, looking, for all appearances, as if he owned the place. "Hello," he drawled to the elderly volunteer behind the desk. "I'm looking for Anna Russo. I believe she's an employee here," he recited with an award-winning smile. He had been using this opening line throughout all of the hospitals he had visited and, so far, had been met with zero success. After each rejection, he would sit in the employees' outside break area for several hours, hoping to catch a glimpse of Anna. Forks was his last hope.

The wizened woman caught her breath at the handsome man standing in front of her. He certainly was no Dr. Carlisle Cullen, or especially Dr. Edward Cullen, but he was still very becoming, with his piercing blue eyes and aristocratic features. "Oh, um, yes, sir." She took the photograph in her gnarled fingers and recognized the girl immediately, although the name he had given her was not familiar. "But I'm sorry, we're not allowed to give out information on employees." And she was truly regretful to not be able to help this charming young man.

He gritted his teeth and attempted to keep the affable expression on his face. "I understand. Thank you so much for your help." He smiled at her and turned around, rolling his eyes.

"Good luck," she called, vaguely wondering why that man had Bella Swan's picture but did not know her name.

Eric wandered outside and saw a couple of wooden picnic tables underneath a small grove of young maple trees. Sitting at one was an attractive girl, who he assumed to be a nurse due to the stethoscope hanging around her neck, talking on a cell phone. As he walked closer, he could overhear her conversation.

"Well, Mike, I figured it'd been three days since our date and I hadn't heard anything from you...I know you've been working. So have I, but I still have the time to call...no, don't bother. Fine...all right...no, I'm fine...okay, I'll talk to you then...fine, bye!" Jessica slapped her phone shut with a rough sigh. "Men," she grumbled under her breath.

_Perfect,_ Eric thought, walking over to her. "Hi, is this seat taken?" he asked her, giving her an enchanting smile.

_Holy Mother of God!_ Jessica immediately forgot all about Mike and instead focused on the magnificent man in front of her. "No, not at all! I'm Jessica, Jessica Stanley."

"Nice to meet you, Jessica. I'm Dr. Eric-Ericson. Dr. Andrew Ericson." _Damn, keep it together. You don't want your real name floating all over this fucking hole-in-the-wall town in case you kill her here. Don't be stupid!_

Her eyes widened. _Holy hell, he's a _doctor_ on top of being absolutely _gorgeous_! Finally, maybe my luck is changing!_ "It's nice to meet you," she said with a soft giggle.

He smiled at her. "It's nice to meet you, too, Jessica. I was wondering if you might help me with something." At her eager expression, he pulled the photo of Anna out of his pocket and showed it to her. "Do you know her? I think she works here."

Jessica's face fell. _Well, that figures. He's after Bella, too. It's not enough that she's got Edward freaking Cullen eating out of her hand, but now Dr. Hottie wants her! _She nodded morosely. "Yeah, Bella? She works here."

Eric's heart stopped in his chest. He'd found her. He'd fucking found her. But if he wanted further information, he had to keep Jessica talking. He pulled his expression back to an amiable one. "Oh, thank goodness! I've been searching for my sister forever! But...what did you call her?" he asked, fake concern plastered across his face.

_Sister? Hot damn!_ Jessica smiled broadly again, her good mood instantly returned. "Bella. Well, I think her name is Isabella, but she goes by Bella. Bella Swan."

Eric swallowed hard. So the fucking bitch had changed her name. That meant...she had planned this. She had conspired to leave him; it was not a haphazard idea, a spur of the moment move. He wanted to break something, to smash anything to bits, but until he got all of the information he needed, he had to swallow his rage and hatred and continue his act with this fatuous girl. "Do you know where she's staying?"

Jessica nodded enthusiastically. "Sure. She and her son live with Charlie Swan. He's the police chief."

_Was this the asshole who thought he could touch what belonged to him?_ "Swan...are they married?" he asked, practically choking on the last word.

She giggled again. "Oh, no! He's a distant relative or something. Well, you should know that, silly!"

This girl was grating on his nerves and he _really_ wanted to slap that giggle right out of her mouth, but he knew that would avail him nothing, so he gritted his teeth and kept his smile in place. "Do you have the address? I'd like to surprise her." _Oh, surprise, surprise, darling!_

"Sure," she said, slight smirk on her face. _Bella, you so owe me. Well, maybe _I_ really owe you! _She scribbled the address on a scrap piece of paper and handed it to him. "The phone number on there is mine. After you catch up with Bella, why don't you give me a call?" She smiled at him suggestively.

Trying not to give her any reason to suspect him in the event Anna's body was found bludgeoned to death, he smiled back at her serenely. "Sure thing, darlin'. I look forward to it." He winked at her, then turned to head back toward his rental car and type the address she had given him into the GPS system. His mouth was watering now that reaching his goal was imminent.

Jessica watched him pull out of the parking lot and waved. _Now, Bella won't be the only lucky one around here._

He waved back, trying not to squeal the tires in his haste to drive the 2.3 miles to the house where the bane of his existence resided, oblivious to the coming terror. He wanted Jessica to remember him only in a positive light, and besides, if all went well today, he might be in the mood for a good fuck on his way out of town.

***

Bella breathed a sigh of relief, reveling in the experience of just being _alone_. In the two weeks since the disastrous trip to Seattle, Edward had not allowed her to spend any time by herself; instead, she had been constantly babysat by someone. As a person who enjoyed her 'me time', however, she was beginning to suffer from cabin fever and so, had pleaded to be permitted to spend a couple of hours at Charlie's by herself. Besides, Charlie needed it as badly as she did. His house was in desperate need of a good cleaning, and no laundry had been done since she had left to stay at the Cullen's.

She was mopping the kitchen floor when she thought she heard a knock at the door. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and went to peek out the window, but no one was there. _Stop being so jumpy,_ she admonished herself. Glancing around the damp, green yard one last time, she double-checked the lock and, feeling secure, went back to work.

She decided to throw a load of clothes in the dryer; she had just slammed the dryer door when she heard a noise that sounded like footsteps in the living room. Thinking that Charlie was home early, she walked into the living room, but it was empty. _Odd, maybe Edward needs to give me that psych evaluation after all. _

Deciding that her mind was playing tricks on her, she took her cleaning supplies upstairs to the bathroom. She was scrubbing the bathtub when she again heard a noise downstairs. Deciding to ignore it, she finished cleaning, and then rinsed the tub. When she heard the noise again, however, she slowly walked downstairs, thinking that maybe a small animal had somehow gotten inside.

Suddenly, a hand was around her throat and the back of her head was slammed into the wall, making black spots dance in front of her eyes. _What the hell?_

"Ahh, Anna...my beautiful Anna. Or, should I say, Bella, is it?"

Bella shrunk away from that voice. Her vision was still blurry, but she did not need it to know who held her in a chokehold. He had found her - and he had come to kill her.

"What, darling? Cat got your tongue?" He clicked his tongue before pressing his nose into her hair. "Ahh, how I've missed you. Do you have any fucking idea what I've been through?" he asked angrily, shaking her and causing her head to hit the wall again.

She began to claw at the fingers that encircled her neck. She needed oxygen so she could think clearly, and she needed it now. "Let...go," she rasped, kicking her feet, trying to find purchase against anything. _Edward! Alice...oh, Alice. Please see what's happening!_

Eric sneered at her for a moment before dropping her unceremoniously, watching as her knees buckled, and she fell to the floor. He paced in front of her. "Anna, Anna, Anna. Whatever shall I do with you?"

"How the hell did you find me?" she asked, voice still rough as blessed air flowed back into her lungs. She looked around for something she could use as a weapon, while trying to not arouse his suspicion. "And how did you get in here?"

He cocked his head to the side, a condescending look on his face. "You left the kitchen window unlocked. Not very smart, sweetheart. And my mother told me she saw you. After that, it was only a matter of time for me to go to each of the hospitals, looking for you. Your friend, Jessica, I believe her name was, was a well of information. She led me right to you, and all it took was a few smiles and a little bit of flirting on my part. Very simple minded."

Bella groaned. Of course Jessica, as starved as she was for male attention, would have fallen right for Eric's façade. She could not blame her - she had fallen for it, too, once upon a time. "So now what?" She was stalling for time, expecting Edward to burst through the door at any moment in all of his righteous glory.

Eric smiled down on her, his face serene and pleasant. "And now, my love, you die."

"I believe that you are quite mistaken," Edward said quietly, causing Eric to turn swiftly around. The sight of Eric standing over Bella had the monster snarling and foaming at the mouth. Edward worked with great difficulty to abstain from summarily ripping Eric's head off.

"Who the fuck are you?" he shouted.

"Bella, are you all right?" Edward asked her, keeping his eyes on Eric. Images flooded his mind of gouging his eyes out with his fingers, and a smile crept over his face.

"Yeah," she muttered, standing up. Suddenly, her head was pulled back and something cold was at her throat.

"Don't move, pretty boy," Eric sneered. "Anna, is this the dumbnuts you've been fucking around with? Huh?" He pressed the knife closer to her exposed throat.

Edward laughed lightly. "Wouldn't you like to know, Eric?" At Eric's surprised expression, Edward continued. "Oh, yes, Eric. I know your name. I know all about you. Actually, I know more about you than you will ever realize. But Bella is not yours, nor was she ever. She never belonged to you, not in the way she belongs to me."

"Shut up!" Eric screamed, his hand holding the blade beginning to shake.

Bella looked at Edward with wild eyes. "Edward, what...?" _What the hell was he doing? Why make the psycho even crazier?_

Edward held Eric's gaze. "It's all right, Bella. Just relax." _Don't breath...don't focus on Bella's scent. Remember what you are here to do._

"Relax?"

"Let her go, Eric. Now," Edward commanded, all pretense of cordiality gone. The monster started growling low in its throat, gnawing at the bars on its cage.

"Over my dead fucking body." His grip on Bella's hair tightened.

Edward smiled widely, exposing all of his teeth. "That can be arranged. But if you would like to die a fairly painless death, I would recommend that you let her go now." _Oh, please, let me arrange it!_

"Who the fuck _are_ you?" he asked again, beginning to feel uneasy at the presence Edward had brought into the room - the coldness that seemed to permeate from him.

"All in due time. But right now, you _will_ let her go, or I _will_ fucking kill you, very painfully," Edward said, his voice soft and rich as melted butter. He pushed the monster back down; he needed to maintain control while he was inside Charlie's house - and while Bella was so close. He promised the monster he would let him loose, very soon.

Bella's breathing was beginning to become shallower. "Eric, you better do what he says."

He jerked her hair again. "And why's that, princess?"

"Because he _will_ kill you. And I can't promise you that you won't suffer a horrible death." She shuddered as the thoughts of what Edward could possibly do shuffled through her mind.

An evil smile grew across Eric's face. "Not if I kill him first," he whispered in her ear, then suddenly, he pulled the knife away from her throat and threw it at Edward.

The blade hit his chest, sliced a long gash through his shirt, then bounced off and clattered to the floor. The moment the knife left Eric's hand, Bella stomped her foot down on his toes, and when his fingers flexed in response to the pain, she pulled her hair out of his grasp and ran to Edward's side. He bent down casually and picked the knife up, flipping it around, catching it by the handle, then the blade, then the handle, a smirk on his face.

Eric backed up, tripping over a chair, and fell on his back. He started to crab-crawl backward frantically toward the kitchen, crashing his shoulder into the door frame and falling onto his back. "Wha-what the hell?" His eyes were wide, confusion apparent on his face.

Edward shook his head. "I warned you," he said softly and then hit him on the side of the head, the sound of Eric's limp body slipping to the floor very satisfying to Edward's ears. He turned to Bella, his eyes full of concern. "Are you all right? Did he hurt you?" He prayed his eyes were not black; he did not want to scare her anymore than she already had been. He felt the monster rattling the cage and shaking the lock, and knew that it was only by his sheer will power that every human in the room was still alive. _Hold it together - for Bella._

She rubbed the back of her head, trying to determine if she was bleeding. "I'm okay," she said, her voice shaky. Her knees were beginning to tremble as she abruptly felt the adrenaline rushing through her veins.

Edward wrapped his arm around her waist. "I've got you. And you're not bleeding. How's your vision? Are you nauseated?" he asked, his voice suddenly taking on the sound of a physician. _Focus._

Suddenly, the front door crashed open, making Bella jump.

"Oh, my God, Bella! I'm so sorry! I don't know what happened, but I didn't see _anything_! Are you all right?" Alice said quickly, her words running together. She quickly pulled Bella out of Edward's arms and into her own embrace, squeezing her tightly against her granite chest. "Oh, Bella, if anything had happened, it would have been all my fault!"

Bella pulled back slightly, trying to fill her lungs with oxygen after Alice's crushing hug. "Alice, I'm fine. And nothing is your fault. You can't see everything."

Alice shook her head, looking miserable. "But I've been watching for you. I should have seen it."

"But you didn't know Eric, so how could you have seen when he decided to come here?" Bella asked, confused. "And I didn't decide to go meet him or anything. He took me completely by surprise, so...?"

Edward nodded. "Bella's right, Alice. There wasn't any way you could have known without knowing this...asshole." He nudged Eric's foot and was satisfied that he was still out cold.

"How hard did you hit him?" Bella asked, looking at him carefully.

"Not hard enough," Edward growled.

"Well, shit, we missed all the fun," Emmett grumbled, walking in the door. "We came as soon as Alice called."

Alice glared at him. "Sure, rub it in," she mumbled. She did offer Jasper a small smile when he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

"Don't worry. He's not dead...yet," Edward said. _But he will be._

Bella looked up at him. "What are you planning to do?" she asked softly.

Edward hesitated. He knew that Bella understood what he was going to do - in general. But he was not about to give her a play-by-play. "I'm going to take care of it."

"Here?" she asked, slightly panicked.

"No, we'll take him deep into the woods where no one will have a chance of stumbling upon us."

"Oh," she whispered. She shivered.

Edward kissed the top of her head. "Alice, will you take Bella back to the house, please."

Bella shook her head. "No, Edward. I want to go with you."

Everyone in the room looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

"Bella, no. You can't." Edward's voice was tight.

She narrowed her eyes. "Edward, I've let you boss me around for the last two weeks without argument. Now, yes, I talked you out of it today and it bit me on the ass, but...I _need_ to go with you."

"No!" he said vehemently, a growl low in his chest.

"Why?"

He sighed. "Bella, it's bad enough that you _know_ that I'm a monster. But what is about to occur...will only confirm it, and I can't bear to have you see it. Plus, I can't guarantee your safety once I...let loose." He looked at her with a pained expression.

Bella returned his look with a disgusted look of her own. "I don't want to _watch_. Are you insane? I'd never sleep again! But I have some things I need to say to Eric...and he's unconscious. And when you come back, he'll be...dead." She swallowed hard on the last word. "I have to do this, Edward. I need closure, and if I don't do this, I'll never have it."

He looked deeply into her eyes and decided that she was perfectly lucid. He looked over at Alice.

"It'll be fine, Edward. I'll take her home when it's time."

He nodded. "Fine." He pointed at Eric who was still unconscious on the kitchen floor. "Em, Jazz, will you two get him to the clearing?"

"Sure thing, bro," Jasper said, watching as Emmett slung Eric roughly onto his back. Emmett laughed as Eric's head knocked into the cabinet.

"Oops," he laughed.

Alice rolled her eyes.

Edward put Bella on his back. "You're sure about this?"

"Positive." And at that declaration, they were running through the woods. The sensation made Bella somewhat queasy, although she was not sure if it was the blur of the trees flying by or the idea of what was about to happen. To combat it, she closed her eyes, and in a few minutes, Edward stopped.

Her legs were shaky when she stood on them, so she sat on a rock momentarily until she regained her equilibrium.

"You don't have to do this, Bella," he said, worriedly.

She nodded. "Yes, I do."

"All right. Just stay here, and I'll let you know when he's awake."

Emmett had dumped Eric in the middle of a clearing that was surrounded by tall Spruce trees. Jasper had set a coil of rope next to him that Edward used to bind him to a small tree that was growing in the middle of the open area.

Edward could tell from his breathing pattern that Eric was about to rejoin the land of the living...for a while. He could see his brothers perched in the trees, ready to assist if needed; Bella was sitting just inside the tree line, Alice at her side.

"Ohhhh," Eric groaned, his head lolling side to side. He tried to reach up to touch his head, but could not move his arms. "Wha-what...where?" _God, what a hangover!_

Edward was perched on a rock beside him, studying his fingernails. He looked up at Eric and gave him a bright smile. "Good morning, starshine!" _Just be patient. We have all the time in the world now._

"Oh, fuck," Eric moaned. "Wha-what happened?" He wrenched his eyes open and finally looked at Edward.

"Well," Edward said, his voice chipper. "You made the grave mistake of coming after Bella, whom you know as Anna, and attempting to kill her. That pissed me off, which, I must say, was a huge mistake."

"Anna?" he groaned, his eyes rolling around wildly.

"Then you tried to stab me," Edward said, his voice cheery. The monster rattled his cage, a maniacal smile on his face, venom dripping from his teeth. _Letmeoutletmeoutletmeoutletmeout!_

Eric's head snapped over to look at Edward's face. He registered the eyes that were black onyx, the pale skin, and the strange ambiance radiating from him. He remembered...he remembered throwing the knife. It was an excellent throw, dead center. And the blade..._bounced_. It fucking bounced. His eyes grew wide. "I tried to stab you," he whispered. _I must be dreaming._

Edward nodded his head, smile still in place. _Patience._

"I tried to stab you and the knife bounced!" _Surely this is the strangest dream of my life...what the fuck did I have to drink last night?_

Edward smiled even wider.

Eric's eyes widened even more. "Who the fuck are you?" he whispered. _Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore._

Edward leaned close and whispered in his ear, "I think what you should be asking is, _what_ the fuck am I?"

**End Notes: I will be out of town on vacation without internet service for a week...whooo hooo! So....I will not be able to submit the next chapter until I get home. I am planning on taking the computer, however, and getting the next chapter finished while I am away from it all! So, if I don't respond to your review for a few days, please don't think I'm ignoring you!**

**And I know I am evil for leaving you all here! Let me know what you thought!**

**What do you think Edward should do to Eric...? I'm game for ideas!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hey everyone! I sincerely apologize for taking so long to get this chapter up, but I think I had vacationitis. It took me a while to get back into the hang of things after I got home, so hopefully this chapter will not disappoint.**

**I will warn you, there is some moderate violent material toward the end of the chapter, so if that bothers you, you might want to skip the ending. Read at your own risk.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Twilight, I'm just borrowing for my own amusement. I do own Eric, but I don't think anyone will want him when this is over!**

Edward leaned close and whispered in his ear, "I think what you should be asking is, _what_ the fuck am I?"

Eric's eyes widened, and he rolled them, attempting to hide the fear he felt at Edward's whispered words. _What the hell did that mean? Who was this guy? Some hit man for the mafia?_ "All right, fine. I'll play," he said, trying to sound bored, wincing when his voice cracked. "_What_ are you?"

Edward smiled at the thoughts running through his prey's mind; no matter how calm Eric tried to appear, Edward knew he was scared. He could smell the fear oozing from every pore, could hear his heart stuttering as blood was shunted away from internal organs and to his extremities, and it only excited the monster more. Edward shook his head, a smile on his face. "Sorry, Eric. Can't tell you. It's against the rules," he added in a stage whisper.

Eric pressed his lips together in frustration and began fighting against his bindings. "What the fuck are you talking about?" he spat, trying to squash the fingers of terror that were creeping up from his stomach and snaking around his chest. _Rules? What the fuck?_ "Let me go," he muttered, swallowing the sob that was at the back of his throat. The calm manner, friendly attitude, and cold atmosphere he was picking up from this man were all finally beginning to send him into an unadulterated panic attack.

Edward cocked his head to the side and studied him for a moment. The frantic, fractured thoughts running through Eric's mind gratified him as he knew he was on the path leading directly to hysteria then psychosis. _Perfect._ "Not until Bella has had her say. Then I'll untie you."

"You will?" Eric asked disbelievingly, blue eyes wide. _Oh, thank you, sweet Jesus!_

He placed his right hand over his left chest. "Cross my heart." He turned to the thick trees standing behind him and took a deep breath to calm himself. Bella's ambrosial scent washed over his tongue along with the putrid scent of the man behind him. The monster was rattling his cage and stomping his feet, begging to be allowed outside - pleading for the chance to do what he was designed for. But Edward was cognizant that as long as Bella and her delicious blood were anywhere within sniffing distance, he must keep the monster caged. He could not risk causing her any harm - he would never forgive himself. _Just a little longer, I promise._

"Bella?" he called softly, then walked slowly to the perimeter of the clearing where she stood with Alice.

She stepped in front of him and stared up into his eyes, hiding her shock - and slight nervousness - at the burning onyx jewels staring back at her. The absence of the deep purple circles under his eyes told her that he was not thirsty - instead, his features were telling her that the thin hold he had on his control was close to breaking. "Edward?" she whispered, lightly resting her hand on his chest.

He closed his eyes, willing his humanity to take control of his emotions. "I don't like this, Bella."

"Edward, please. I _need_ to do this."

He gritted his teeth and nodded. "I know. But I'll be right there with you." He opened his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief at her slight smile. "Better?"

She nodded. "A little." The slight lightening of his irises soothed her ragged nerves somewhat. She took a deep, steadying breath and turned to face the monster that had haunted her dreams and pursued her across the country; she felt her heart skip a beat in fear.

Edward took her hand in his upon hearing her heart lurch and her breathing accelerate. He knew she was afraid, and he wanted to kill the man in that very moment for making his Bella ever feel such potent fear. But he had promised her she could say what she needed, and he would keep his promise. But after that, Eric _would_ pay.

Bella walked slowly into the clearing and stopped in front of the tree to which Eric was tied. Knowing that he was bound did make her feel a little braver - knowing that Edward was sitting on the boulder behind her, ready to spring into action the second she needed him, filled her with confidence. She stared into his piercing blue eyes for a moment, searching for any remorse, any love that he might have for her. All she saw was hatred, and she shivered in response to the anger she felt radiating from him. _Be strong, you don't have to be afraid of him anymore._ She thought of everything he had put her and Ben through and felt her own anger flood through her and, suddenly, she pulled her hand back and slapped him, hard, across the face.

"You bastard," she said quietly, her voice shaking. "How could you? How could you do that to me?" _Don't cry. Don't let him see you cry!_

Eric licked the small trickle of blood off of his lip and smiled at her. "Oh, come off it, Anna! Drop the damn holier-than-thou attitude! You're the one who ran off to fuck around with this dickhead."

Her eyes narrowed. "Shut up. I did not _run off_ to Edward."

He sneered at her, his upper lip curling. "Bullshit. You up and leave me and go clear across the country to this Godforsaken place - all to jump into bed with pretty boy here."

"I did not!" she screamed, clenching her hands into fists. "I ran away to get away from _you_ because I couldn't stand you!" _Keep your cool, Bella._

"Sure, darlin'. Whatever. Is she good for you?" he asked Edward, he eyes alight with a look that made Bella's skin crawl.

Bella slapped him again and before her hand had left his cheek, Edward was there beside her, lips pulled back from his teeth, a snarl ripping from his throat. Then, before she could blink, Emmett and Jasper were there on either side of him, their arms locked around him in restraint.

"No, Edward, not yet," Jasper grunted, pulling and tugging on his brother.

"Dude, it's Bella's turn. She won't like it if she's talking to the headless ex-boyfriend," Emmett said, helping Jasper pull Edward back toward the trees.

Edward growled deeply in his chest but stopped fighting his brothers. He continued to glare at Eric with eyes black as midnight.

"You ass," Bella whispered forcefully. "You stupid, idiotic ass!"

"Oh, so _I'm_ the ass just because I'm pissed because _my_ girlfriend leaves me to spread her legs for some other guy?" Eric shouted at her, struggling against his bindings, his eyes wide with fear after Edward's display.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Bella hissed at him. "I'm not sleeping with him, nor have I ever. We couldn't do anything together even if we wanted-!" She stopped short when she realized what had just escaped her mouth. _Shit._

Eric stared at her a moment. "You..._can't_...do anything. What the hell does that mean?"

Bella felt her face flame and looked down to the ground, suddenly interested in the worm crawling up the small rock beside her right shoe. "Nothing."

Eric's face broke into a wide smile. "You _can't_. You can't have sex with him! Ho ho!" he chortled. "What, are you _scared_? Does he not want you after learning about your past?"

Bella felt her anger rise past the boiling point, and before she could stop herself, a plethora of forbidden words came tumbling out of her mouth. "No, you dumbass! Edward loves me like no one ever has! But, if you must know, we can't because he's a _vampire_!" As she saw his eyes widen, she felt a small feeling of satisfaction, and continued. "Yes, a vampire. As in a blood-drinking, immortal, murderous vampire! And you've pissed him off, so have fun with that!" She stood there, her chest heaving, and suddenly realized what she had done. She had spilled Edward's secret. _Double shit._

Eric looked between Bella and Edward, who was perched silently on the boulder. _Vampire? No way. There's no such things as monsters. _"I think you need some professional help, sweetheart."

Bella let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine, whatever. You'll see. But I _need_ to know why you did those things to me," she said, her voice soft.

He rolled his eyes. "For God's sake, Anna, let it go. It's time to get over it." He smiled at her condescendingly.

"I can't just let it go," she yelled, feeling the tears she had been working to restrain fall down her cheeks. "_Why_? Just tell me why!" She swiped furiously at her face.

Eric sighed and looked up at the sky. "Why? I don't fucking know why. Because I wanted to. Okay? Is that what you wanted to hear? Because you needed to know who was in charge, since I know what happened when you were left to your own devices, and I wanted to make sure nothing like that happened again."

Bella's eyes widened. "Shut up," she whispered.

He smiled widely again. "What? You didn't tell him?"

She stepped up to him so that their faces were mere inches apart. "Please, Eric. You promised you'd never say anything about that." _Don't make me beg._

He stared down into her chocolate brown eyes, his own blue ones filled with anger. "Yeah, and you promised you'd never leave me. I loved you, Anna!"

She stepped back, her heart thudding madly in her chest. She knew Edward could hear it and speculated if he was able to hear in Eric's thoughts what she would die if he voiced aloud. She was too afraid to turn to see his facial expression. "And I loved you, once. Until you made me hate you!"

Eric clicked his tongue. "Now, now, Anna. That's no way to get what you want," he said softly.

Her breathing was erratic and her head was beginning to spin. She recognized that it was already too late; she knew that Edward would already be aware, but she wondered if Eric's thoughts were distorted by his anger. "You're a monster," she whispered.

"Sticks and stones, darling," he shot back. "You'll beg me to take you back after pretty boy finds out what you did."

She shook her head, pleading for him to stop. Even if Edward heard it in his thoughts, she could not bear for the rest of his family to know. She would be too ashamed to face them. "That would never happen." _Keep lying to yourself, Bella. _

"Bella?" Edward asked softly, causing her to jump.

She spun around quickly, her eyes filled with panic. "Edward, I..."

His own obsidian eyes searched her coffee-colored ones while his cold, stone hand softly brushed her hair back. "Are you all right? Your heart is racing."

"The question is," Eric cut in, "is if _you'll_ be all right."

"Of course, I'll be fine," Edward spat, disgusted by the glee he could see in Eric's mind caused from Bella's distress. '_Let me at him! Gimmegimmegimmegimme!' the monster begged, jumping up and down and foaming at the mouth._

"Well, for two people who are apparently so in _love_, I can't imagine why she wouldn't have ever told you about Ethan's father."

Bella hid her face in Edward's chest and heard his breathing stop. She wished that he could read her mind in that moment so he would understand that she longed for him to rip Eric's vocal cords out before he spoke another word. But, of course, she never could be that lucky.

"Go on, tell him, Anna! Tell him about Ethan's father," Eric sneered, unaware that Edward was able to hear the entire story in his mind.

"I wish I had never told you," she shouted, her face burning in embarrassment.

"Bella, it's all right," Edward said softly. He loved her unconditionally, her past be damned. It was not as if he were earning any angel wings.

Eric threw his head back with a laugh and winced when his head hit the rough bark of the tree. "Well, let's see if you think it will be all right in a minute there, pretty boy. Anna, would you like to do the honors, or shall I?" he asked, a malicious smirk on his face.

"Shut up," she muttered half-heartedly, knowing it would be useless. Eric was going to tell the mortifying tale in his last attempt to hurt her.

He grinned. "Well," he drawled, as if starting a riveting story. "I'm sure you know that I'm not Ethan's father. I tried to be a father to him; I supported him, gave them both a place to live. I had even mentioned several times to Anna about having a baby of our own, but she'd always change the subject, as if the idea of carrying _my_ baby was repulsive."

"You _are_ repulsive," she murmured, resigned to the fact that Edward and his siblings were about to know her deepest and darkest secret. Hopefully, they would at least say good-bye before they all left her.

"Anyway," he continued, smile still on his face. "Ethan was a couple of years old when I met Anna. After we'd been together a few months, I asked her about his father and she told me that she didn't like to discuss it, but I persuaded her."

Bella shuddered at the memory and she heard Edward clench his teeth together; she deduced that he was seeing Eric's recollection of that night as well.

"I'm sure you probably think that Anna was married previously - maybe her husband was killed in Iraq or died from cancer, something tragic like that. Or possibly he was an ass who ran off with his secretary?" He raised his eyebrows at Edward, but at his stony expression, Eric continued with his story. "No? Oh, he was a good guy, all right. And a good husband. But, he wasn't _Anna's_ husband, was he?" he asked Bella in a sing-song voice.

She buried her face in her hands, her face aflame. She prayed that God would open the Earth up and just swallow her whole in that moment.

"Nope," Eric continued, his eyes alight. "He was her best _friend's_ husband. And he got our Anna pregnant. So, like any good best friend would do, she left Atlanta and moved to Jacksonville. Did you ever tell Amanda that Troy was your child's father?"

She shook her head mutely, her stomach feeling as if a lead brick had been dropped into it.

"So, next time you almost fall for that sweet and innocent façade, just remember that your beloved Anna, or Bella, or whatever the hell you call her, seduced her best friend's husband, got pregnant, then ran off. She's good at that running off shit." Eric glared at her.

Edward stood and pulled Bella up with him. "I think we've heard enough. Bella, love, are you ready for Alice to take you home?" he asked, concern etched onto his face.

_Huh? Where was the disdain? Where was the revulsion?_ "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I've said and heard all I need to here," she stammered, even though the resulting mental trauma would almost be worth watching Edward rip Eric's tongue out after that.

He walked her over to the edge of the clearing where Alice was visible inside the thick grove of trees. "Bella, go home with Alice and try to relax. And don't worry about me," he said softly, leaning down to press his marble lips gently against her cold ones.

She searched his eyes, although the irises were still completely obscured of any color, looking for anything that would tell her how he felt about what he had just heard. Seeing nothing, however, she spoke. She couldn't leave with it hanging over her head. "Edward, about Ben's father - "

He placed a wintry finger over her lips. "We'll talk about it later and, if you want, you can tell me what really happened."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

He looked back at Eric, who was twisting against the tree, attempting to loosen the rope. "I saw how rotted his mind was with hate and anger, not to mention that he's completely insane, so I'm not going to believe what he says. Not without your side of the story."

She nodded dumbly. "Okay," she whispered.

"Take her straight home and keep her there," Edward said to Alice, who had suddenly appeared at Bella's side. "Bella, I'll be home...later. If I'm not home for a while, don't worry. We may hunt when we're done here."

"Okay."

He looked deeply into her eyes, touching the crease between her eyebrows. "If you want me to let him go, or turn him over to Charlie, just say so and I will." He did not want to do anything that she would regret, or resent him for, later.

She looked past him to the man who had ruined years of her life and shook her head. "I trust you."

He nodded and kissed her again, then watched as Alice slung Bella onto her back before shooting through the woods toward the Cullens' house. Once he could no longer smell Bella's scent, he walked slowly back into the clearing, his fingers curling instinctively into a hunting position. _Let the games begin._

"It's just you and me now," he said softly, looking into Eric's eyes, which were wary with fear.

"Yeah."

Edward moved behind him, not bothering to slow his movements. "I'm going to untie you now. I told you I would after Bella was gone." He broke through the ropes with his hands and watched as Eric stepped away from the tree, flexing his arms and legs.

Eric regarded him with narrowed eyes. "So you're letting me go?"

Edward laughed lightly. "I didn't say I was letting you go. I said I was going to untie you. You can try to run, if that makes you feel better, but I'll just tell you now, you'll be wasting your time and your energy. It won't do you any good." He stood in front of Eric, not moving a muscle, his bronze hair blowing slightly in the soft breeze.

He looked at Edward briefly before turning toward the area of the forest that Bella had disappeared into and broke into a sprint. He slid to a stop and sat down, hard, when Edward suddenly appeared in front of him.

"I told you it would be a waste of your time."

Eric stood up, his legs shaking. "Wha-?" He looked around wildly, finally feeling appropriate fear, and ran to the other side of the clearing. When Edward was waiting for him on the other side, however, he screamed. "What the fuck _are_ you?" he shouted, backing away.

Edward shifted into a hunting crouch, his eyes tracking every movement. "Bella told you what I am. Remember?" It was not exactly breaking the rules if Bella told his secret - and it did not really matter, anyway, because he would be dead soon, and the only person he would be able to tell would be the demons in hell - and they already knew.

His eyes widened and shifted wildly. "A vampire? Impossible! Vampires don't exist!"

"How do you know that for sure?" Edward asked, shifting toward him slowly, venom flooding his mouth. The monster was in a frenzy, trying to rip the door from his cage, but Edward kept him restrained for a bit longer. _Patience._

"I-because. That's fairy tale stuff. It-it just can't happen!" he said, his voice cracking.

Edward smiled, flashing all of his teeth. "Well, your pitiful human perceptions are not accurate most of the time and so, you usually never know we're around. But we do exist, which is your biggest problem right now."

Eric attempted to run into the forest again, but was, once again, blocked by Edward. Suddenly, he was lifted off of the ground as Edward gripped the front of his shirt. "No! No, please!" he begged.

Edward sat him down gently on the boulder that he had been perched on. "You know, this is getting quite boring, so let's immobilize you, shall we?" Edward asked, then gripped each of Eric's lower legs in his hands, and with a flick of his wrists, Eric's lower legs bent into an abnormal angle, causing him to let out a howling shriek of pain. "I told you it was pointless to run."

Eric toppled onto the ground, his hands gripping his shins as blood began to seep through his pants. "Oh, oh fuck, oh God, you broke my legs...oh, I need a doctor, please!" He moaned and rolled back and forth.

Edward crouched down beside him. "I _am_ a doctor and I can tell you that you have compound fractures of both of your tibias and fibulas. I can also tell you that I could leave you here, right now, and within five hours, you _will_ bleed to death. That is, if a wild animal doesn't find you first." At Eric's panicked stare, Edward continued. "But I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to just walk off and leave you here with just two broken legs."

_Thank God, please help me. Wait a minute...Anna said...vampire. Oh, shit, he's going to drink my blood!_ "No," he moaned.

Edward smiled slightly at the image Eric had. So now he believed? "No, I'm not going to drink your blood either. I don't want one iota of your vileness in me."

"So what are you going to do to me?" Eric gasped, wishing for a gallon of whiskey. _Kill me now!_

He cocked his head slightly. "I'm going to become your worst nightmare. I'm going to make you wish you had never been born. Before I'm done, you will beg me for death," he whispered.

Tears were now streaming down Eric's face, which was pale white. "P-please! I'll do anything. A-anything at all! I'll p-pay you anything you w-want if you'll j-just let me g-go!"

Edward stared down at him and felt a microscopic pang of sympathy for the monster lying at his feet. "Then tell me why you came here. What were you planning to do to Bella?" At his question, flashes of thoughts came to him of Bella tied to a chair, Bella's face contorted in pain, Eric forcing himself on her while she begged for Ben's life, Bella bleeding to death in her kitchen. He heard Eric's broken plan of Ben riding in a car beside him and then being carried through the forest, a hunting knife strapped to Eric's side. With a snarl, Edward pulled his mind away from the vile and maleficent thoughts in Eric's head. He wanted to crush that skull open and fling that malevolent brain into the far reaches of the forest.

"N-nothing," Eric stammered, cold sweat pouring down his face at Edward reaction. _What the hell is up with this guy?_ "I j-just wanted to t-talk to her and s-see what h-happened and make s-sure she and Ethan w-were okay." _Painkillers...I need painkillers!_

Edward glared down into Eric's blue eyes, his own solid black, his arms crossed over his chest. He stopped breathing so as to stop the flow of Eric's noxious scent into his mouth as venom ran over his tongue. He struggled with his emotions, as he knew that if he released the monster and allowed his instinctual nature free reign, the bastard would have already been dead. And that would not suffice. It would not do. If he was going to end a human life, that human would know exactly why it was occurring.

Edward had seen many heinous images in others' minds over his century as a vampire. He had stalked depraved creatures such as the one in front of him once upon a time and had rid the world of the ones he came into contact with. Then, he had had a struggle with his conscience and had concluded it was not his place to determine if these humans were to live or die, and thus, he had returned to Carlisle and their vegetarian way of life. But never, in his one hundred years of immortal life on Earth, had he seen such violent and malignant thoughts and images as the ones he had just seen. If he had been physically able to, he would have turned and vomited.

He understood that his reaction was worse due to the fact that Bella was his mate and Ben was his son; to see them in those positions was something most humans would not be able to handle. He had treated many patients for that very thing. But his supernatural mind was able to absorb and process much more than normal minds and so, the visions he had seen hit him harder than they would have affected another person, whether human or vampire.

"Yes, you will pay what I decide," Edward said softly, his voice low and velvety.

Eric let out a sigh of relief. "J-just name your p-price, and I'll contact my parents. A-and then, please, t-take m-me to a h-hospital." He thought he would soon lose consciousness from the pain. _Maybe that would actually be a blessing._

Edward laughed and the sound sent a chill down Eric's spine. "Oh, no, my friend. There is no amount of money that you could give me that will buy your way out of this. You see, you hurt Bella, who is my mate. She is mine, and I protect what is mine, although I would never consider her my property like you did. But you hurt her and Ben. Never would I have imagined that I would be able to have a family, especially one that included a child. But Bella brought that into my life, and I fell in love with her. Change like that for one of us is extremely rare, so when it happens, it's permanent. Bella will be my mate forever. And you came here to kill her." At Eric's squeak of protest, Edward glared at him, which silenced him effectively. "There is no point in trying to lie to me. I can hear your thoughts, and I heard what you actually planned to do to Bella and Ben."

"P-please," Eric whispered, his face now a sickly green color. _This can't be happening!_

Edward smiled at him without any humor or kindness, his eyes burning black flames. He finally resembled the vampire he claimed to be. "You will pay for what you did and what you planned to do to my family. You will pay...with your life." And he took a step toward Eric, causing him to let out a shriek of terror that echoed off of the forest trees surrounding the clearing. Only, no birds flew away, as all the animals had left before the Cullens' arrival.

They had realized what was going to occur long before Eric did. And no creature, other than the unnatural ones, wanted any part of it.

**End Note: Dun Dun Dun!!!! Well, Eric has done it now. He's pissed Edward off and now that Bella is gone....I'm sure they won't sit around and sing camp songs. But we will find out for sure next chapter.**

**Oh, and don't freak too bad about Ben's father yet...there is a bit more to the story! Remember, Eric is crazy and he is remembering the story the way he wants to! And he is also trying to upset Edward. Please don't come after me with torches and pitchforks!**

**Thanks for reading! Now just hit that little review button down there and let me know what you thought!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Okay, first off, let me offer you all my deepest apologies for the delay in getting the chapter up. This past month, real life has been a total bitch and it has really cut into my writing time. Hopefully, things will calm down some and I can get back into the story and back to my regular posting schedule.**

**Also, I hope you find this chapter flowing with the others. As well as being worked to death this past month, once I did sit down to write, I found myself with a horrible case of writer's block and so I had an awful time getting this chapter to flow with the others. I've reworked it several times, but if you notice any inconsistencies, problems, etc., please let me know so I can fix them. As always, I welcome your feedback and I love to hear what you all think.**

**WARNING: THERE ARE DESCRIPTIONS OF GRAPHIC VIOLENCE IN THE FIRST HALF OF THIS CHAPTER. IF THAT BOTHERS YOU IN ANY WAY, I WOULD ADVISE YOU TO SKIP THE FIRST HALF. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

Edward stared at the mangled corpse lying at his feet and felt an overwhelming pang of remorse wash over him. Crimson blood was pooled into the crevices that Eric's fingernails had made in the ground before Edward had slowly pulled them out; it was slowly beginning to darken and congeal and the scent wafted up, but it held no desire for him. Even the blood that covered his hands and was beginning to dry in the cracks of his knuckles did not bother his vampire senses. He wished for some water so that he could cleanse his hands of the literal blood that was now on them – the proverbial blood would never be washed away. He stared at the gashes in the dirt, his eyes glazing over…

_Eric crawled across the ground, slowly attempting to reach what paltry cover the forest offered, although he knew his effort was in vain. He wished this Edward guy would just put him out of his misery, although he knew that was unlikely. Eric had seen a change come over him, his eyes going from a dark amber color to twin black flames and a shiver of fear had rippled down his spine. When Edward had bared his teeth in an unfriendly smile, Eric had flipped off of the rock, ignoring the screaming pain in his lower extremities. _Maybe your femoral artery will be severed if you move your legs enough and you'll bleed to death_, he told himself hopefully, and giggled deliriously at the irony of that thought. He then let out a high-pitched scream when he felt iron talons grip his ankles and pull him backward, his fractured legs protesting, his fingernails digging ten long gashes into the dirt._

"_Where are you going?" Edward asked politely, dropping Eric's ankles unceremoniously onto the ground. "I've told you it won't do you any good."_

_Eric heard a sob escape his throat. "P-please, have m-mercy on m-me!" Tears pooling in his eyes left his vision blurry and Edward became a large, dark angel – a demon sent to escort him to Hell._

_Edward squatted down beside him. "And did you have mercy on Bella in Florida? Hm? Were you going to have mercy on her when you caught up with her? Or Ben?" he shouted, and at the mention of the little boy's name, Eric's head was filled involuntarily with his plan of what he was going to do to the boy, causing Edward to let out a fierce growl._

The fact that Eric was dead by his hands did not bother Edward. He had seen Eric's thoughts and knew exactly what horrors he had come to Forks to carry out upon Bella and Ben. He understood entirely that if he had not destroyed the evil monster that now lay before him in a broken and bloody heap of human flesh, Bella would have suffered a death worse than her tormentor had. And sweet, innocent little Ben…well, the things Edward had seen in Eric's mind that he was going to do to that child had caused Edward to open the cage door with a bow and a flourish, almost bouncing with glee as his inner monster was finally freed to avenge his new family of the wrongs that had been done to them in their earlier lives and the ones he was able to prevent.

No, the remorse Edward was now feeling was fueled by the fact that he had allowed the monster to thoroughly take control, something that Edward had never allowed to happen since his change to his immortal lifestyle. Even during his brief rebellious period in which he had hunted humans, he had never completely lost his faculties, never fully gave control to his vampire instincts. He had always been aware of his surroundings and of whom he was – but now, he surveyed the scene and he realized that he had not known the person that had inflicted the various methods of torture upon his enemy. He had truly become a monster.

"_P-please, please, l-let me g-go…I promise, if you g-get me to a h-hospital, I'll n-never b-bother Anna again," Eric begged, panting for breath. His legs were no longer throbbing; they were numb from the knees down and he knew that he had now suffered enough tissue damage and blood loss that if he _were_ to survive this, both of his legs would require amputation. But, he really did not think he was going to make it out of this alive – but he had to try. "I s-swear," he sobbed, his face a pale shade of green._

_Edward stood over him, staring down, his face emotionless. "You had your chance. You should never have even come here. Why didn't you stay in Florida after she left?"_

_Eric shook his head. "I d-don't know." He cried softly, tears dripping off of his face._

_Edward quickly snapped Eric's right index finger, causing him to scream. "Yes you do."_

"_I-I loved her, I m-missed her!"_

_He crushed Eric's right middle finger at that declaration, causing Eric to roll over and vomit. "You're only telling me part of the truth."_

_Eric spit the remaining vomit from his mouth, his face now pale white. He prayed earnestly that God would quickly take him and end this torture – but God was not listening to his prayers, especially since he refused to face his own sins and admit to Edward or to himself what he had done or had been planning to do. He shook his head, not able to speak._

_Edward clicked his tongue. He twisted Eric's right fourth finger until he heard the joint pop and then heard the bone snap. Eric let out another howl, tears running down his face. "How long this goes on depends on you. Why did you come here?"_

"_Please j-just k-kill me now," he whispered, wishing he could will his heart to stop beating, hoping it only had a few thuds left._

Edward pulled himself out of his reverie and looked around at the carnage that surrounded him. Chunks of flesh and muscle lay scattered about where he had ripped it from Eric's bones. His teeth, which Edward had pulled out, were in a small pile by his feet. Those would need to be crushed to powder so Eric could not be identified by dental records.

"Whoa, dude," Emmett said, shaking his head, surveying the scene. "I don't think Bella has to worry about him anymore."

Jasper shook his head. "No, she and Ben are safe now. Well, as safe as they can be with a bunch of vampires around." He placed his hand on Edward's shoulder, instantly picking up on Edward's mood.

Edward stood up, grateful for the brief reprieve his brother had just offered him from his contrition. "Yes, they are. Now, I need to get this mess cleaned up." He looked again at the macabre scene in front of him, shaking his head at the reality that he had been the cause.

Emmett began picking up the scattered pieces. "Well, he wasn't a vampire, but I think we should burn everything. That will take care of any fingerprints and other distinguishing features. Although," he said, a look of disgust on his face as he surveyed Eric's face, "I don't think he has any distinguishing features left." He was tossing everything into a pile.

Edward swallowed hard.

"You did the right thing," Jasper said softly. "He was here to kill both Bella and Ben and who knows who else he would have hurt later."

"I just…I know," Edward said, appreciating his brother's attempt at comfort. Jasper was the one in their family who had the most military training and had practiced traditional vampirism the longest, so what he had witnessed was much less of a shock to him than to Edward.

Within a matter of seconds, they had Eric's remains in a pile and Emmett had started a fire underneath them. Edward quickly ground the set of teeth into a fine powder that he then threw into the fire that was quickly licking at the flesh that began to smoke and smolder. The smell was horrific, but none of the brothers turned away.

While the fire smoked and crackled, Edward ran to a nearby stream to finally wash the blood off of his hands. The smell was actually making him nauseous. He plunged his hands into the cold water, but did not feel the icy temperature. He watched as the water gushed over his fingers, the blood turning the water a pinkish color that was carried away downstream. He scrubbed his hands together, and then decided to lie in the water, where he submerged his entire body in the cold mountain stream. He stayed under the surface, allowing the force of the flow to move his hair, his fingers pulling through the strands, washing away the dust and splashes of blood. He watched as the water continued to turn pink as it pulled the blood off of his skin, out of his hair and off of his clothing. He stayed under the water until it ran away from clear and clean.

The rushing in his ears was a peaceful sound and he was in no hurry to resurface. He knew it was unfair to leave his siblings with the clean up job, but he also knew that, like good brothers, they would take care of it. He pretended that while the stream took away Eric's blood, it was also washing the screams out of his ears as well.

He finally broke the surface and pulled the crisp, mountain air into his lungs. Feeling refreshed, he ran back toward the clearing, where a large pillar of black smoke was marring the clear sky. Once this was done, he needed to hunt, and then, he had to talk to Bella. He could only hope that she would not see him for the monster he now knew himself to truly be.

***

"Mommy," Ben called, kicking the dirt impatiently.

"Oh, sorry, honey." Bella kicked the soccer ball back to him; her mind had been far away from the kickball game in progress between her, Ben, and Rosalie and she only vaguely remembered to hope that Rose would keep her super strength in check.

Rosalie gently kicked the ball to her. "Bella, quit worrying. They'll be fine."

She sighed. "But what if something goes wrong?" She chewed on her bottom lip, her brows drawn together.

"Bam!" Ben shouted as his turn came to kick the ball to Rose, causing Bella to jump.

"Ben, why don't you go into the house and ask Esme to fix you some ice cream?" Rosalie suggested, smiling when he took off like a bullet at the mention of his favorite junk food. Once he had pushed the French doors shut, she sat down beside where Bella had plopped onto the ground. "Bella, really, you have nothing to worry about."

"Then why aren't they back yet?" She glared at the sunset as if it had somehow offended her.

Rose pulled a few blades of grass up and began pulverizing them with her manicured fingers. "I'm sure they went hunting afterward. There was probably a lot of bl—" She snapped her mouth shut.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Blood. You can say it. I know what he was doing."

"If anything had happened– and I can't imagine what it would have been – Alice would have seen it, don't forget that."

She sighed again. "But what if—"

"Bella," Rosalie interrupted. "There is nothing out there that could be of any danger to them except another vampire. And if there were any vampires that close, Alice would have seen that too. So stop worrying."

"I can't help it. It's what I do."

Suddenly, three figures burst through the trees on the opposite side of the river, causing Bella to breathe a sigh of relief.

"I told you," Rosalie said, a smug undertone to her voice.

Bella rolled her eyes at her and stood, stepping carefully down to the river's edge to meet Edward. The last thing she wanted to do was to go sprawling in the mud – or worse, the water – in front of Emmett, so she stopped before she got to the slippery grass. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched Edward jump gracefully over the water, which was blazing red with the sunset's reflection. It was one of the most beautiful images she had ever seen.

Emmett landed heavily in the wet grass, spraying her with tiny droplets of mud and completely ruining the moment. "Oh, sorry," he said with a laugh.

She glared at him then turned tentatively to face Edward. She was unsure of what she would find.

Edward stood unmoving, his clothing cleaned by the impromptu bath in the creek and dried by the run through the woods. He stared at Bella, his eyes once again the color of warm butterscotch and he smiled at her cautiously. "Bella?" he whispered, unsure of her reaction now that she knew what he was capable of.

She continued to visually drink him in for another second before launching herself into his arms, feeling as if she had thrown herself at a marble statue. She knew she would have bruises the next day but she did not care. The feeling of Edward's stone arms wrapped protectively around her banished her every care in the world in that moment. "Oh, Edward. I was so worried about you."

In spite of his own concerns, he chuckled. "Why?"

She inhaled his sweet scent deeply, committing it to memory, allowing it to fill her lungs and her senses. She felt her head begin to spin and finally remembered to exhale. "I-because…you didn't come back. All kinds of scenarios were in my mind."

He did not say anything, just placed a light kiss on the top of her head. Her scent wafted up to him, wrapped in the damp smells of the river and mixed with the smell of grass and earth. It was a heady aroma.

She swallowed hard, dreading her next question. "Eric?" she whispered so softly human ears would not have been able to hear her.

"I took care of it."

She felt a strange feeling in her middle and her head began to spin. _Edward took care of it. He's gone…forever. He'll never bother me again. _"Are you all right?" she asked quietly.

He looked down into her chocolate eyes and gave her a soft smile. "Come on, let's go inside." He was amazed that her first concern was for him, but he knew he should not be surprised. _She's always concerned about everyone else first._ "I've missed Ben like crazy," he added with a grin. He was ready for the little boy to make him forget about the bloodbath he had been part of earlier.

She laughed and the somber mood was broken. "He's missed you too. He's driven Rose crazy asking where you were. I think he gave her a complex because she's sure he likes you more than her."

"Of course he does," he said lightly. They walked hand in hand up to the house and when they stepped into the back yard, Ben opened the door and ran out onto the deck.

"Edward!" he yelled, and ran toward the steps.

Fortunately, Edward was faster and was able to catch Ben before he tumbled down the deck steps. He grabbed him and swung him around while Ben stuck his arms straight out.

"I'mma airplane!" he shouted. "Faster!"

Edward twirled him around a couple of more times and before he could stop them, Eric's thoughts came crashing back into his conscious mind. He hugged Ben to his chest tightly and pressed his lips to his head, his eyes closed. Ben's thoughts were filled with images of flying through the air and Edward's face, and he gave thanks again that he had been able to protect them both.

He breathed deeply and Ben's soft scent flowed over his tongue. He felt no desire for the little boy's blood and the remorse he had felt in the clearing at allowing the monster full reign of his control lessened considerably. Knowing what evils Eric had planned to do to Ben and then looking into his innocent face, being privy to his trusting nature, made Edward feel more justified in what he had done. He also felt more assured that he could control his inner beast at will.

"Where you been?" Ben asked, his brows drawn together and he placed one small, chubby hand on Edward's cheek. "You been gone forever! Aunt Rose's fun, but she won't wrestle wit' me. She says it messes up her hair!"

Edward laughed at his exaggeration and was again amazed at how Ben paid no attention to his body temperature. "I know, I've been hunting," he said.

"And he has not been gone forever," Bella corrected with a smile. "Just a couple of days."

Ben laid his head on Edward's shoulder and wrapped his small arms around his neck. "I missed you," he said quietly.

Edward knew that if he had been able to produce tears, he would have cried.

***

Bella stared out of the window, wondering how she was going to broach the subject with Edward. Ben was asleep in the large bed in Edward's room and his steady breathing was soothing to Bella's nerves. She had been having pretend dialogues in her mind all day, each one going in a completely different direction. By that point, she was so unsure of Edward's reaction that she wished she did not have to say anything at all.

Edward entered the room silently and for the millionth time he longed to hear Bella's thoughts. The room was dark as Ben was asleep, but he did not need the light to see her features reflected in the glass. Her brows were drawn together, the crease between them divulging that she was deep in thought; her arms were wrapped around her middle, and her bottom lip was caught between her teeth. He had thought all afternoon of how he should tell her about what had occurred after she had left the clearing, but nothing he came up with sounded appropriate. "Bella?" he whispered.

She turned slowly at the velvety sound behind her, slightly frustrated that he could still make her knees weak with just a whisper. His eyes reflected the moonlight and she knew that had she met him in a dark alley, her instincts would have told her to run. But she was not in a dark alley and all of her instincts were telling her to hold onto Edward and never let him go, although her fear was that after he heard her entire story, he might push her away in disgust. But she was ready to get everything out in the open. "Edward, we need to talk."

_Shit. She's had the time to think about earlier and here it comes._ "All right."

She sighed and sat down on the floor, her back to the wall. Her legs were weak and she was afraid they would not support her through what she had to say. "I'm tired of keeping this secret, so I'm ready to tell you all about Ben's real father."

**End Notes: ****So Eric is toast, Bella will spill her guts next chapter, and we should be wrapping everything up in the next few chapters. A lot of you have mentioned/asked about Edward changing Bella and it will come up before the end, so hang in there!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: First of all, I want to apologize to everyone for the long delay in posting this chapter. I've been dealing with some health issues which have monopolized my time and energy. But...good news is that we now know what is going on and can treat it, so I'm feeling a little better and can start thinking about the story again! So never fear, it will get finished.**

**I would also like to thank everyone who has left a review voicing hope that the story would continue. You all let me know that I had readers anxiously waiting on the next chapter and did not let me give up or forget about the story!**

"I'm tired of keeping this secret, so I'm ready to tell you about Ben's father," Bella whispered, staring at the floor, afraid to look into Edward's perfect face.

"You don't have to," Edward whispered, gently stroking her hair. _But please don't change your mind!_

She shook her head. "You've shared everything with me. Now it's my turn." She took a deep breath and finally allowed her mind to unlock the door to the memories she had shut out years ago. "It started a long time ago. Amanda and I had been best friends since we were in the fourth grade. We seemed to stick together because I had a hard time making friends and she was an outcast. She had leukemia and, at that age, the kids were scared to hang out with her. Except for me."

Edward nodded, encouraging her to go on, wondering how Ben's father was connected to a childhood girlfriend and unwilling to believe that Bella would ever have an affair with her best friend's husband.

"Anyway, Amanda made me promise her that one day, when she was ready for kids, that I would…help her. The chemo had destroyed her ability to have children." Bella wiped at the tears that had filled her eyes at the memory. She would have promised her best friend anything to make her happy. Bella remembered how sick the medications had made her and how depressed Amanda had been when she had been told she would never be able to have children. "She was sitting in a hospital bed, hooked up to all of these IVs, sick as a dog…I couldn't have denied her," she added, an undertone of pleading in her voice.

"I see," Edward said, brushing cold fingers across her wet cheeks. This was not what he had been expecting.

Bella let out a shuddering breath. "So, Amanda went into remission when we were sixteen and we thought everything was great. We both went to college in Atlanta, roomed together, went into the nursing program together – she was the entire reason I wanted to be a nurse to begin with. We were inseparable. Then she met Troy and fell in love. They got engaged in our third semester and she quickly brought up the subject of a baby – reminding me of the promise I had made her several years before."

Edward stopped breathing, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Then what?" _Holy shit._

She bit her lip. "I tried to avoid the subject for a while. I was still in school and the idea of being held to a promise I had made when I was fifteen was scary. I wasn't sure if I could carry a baby and then give it up." Her stomach clenched as she remembered the emotions that had run through her during that time.

"So?"

Bella shrugged. "Then I saw how much Amanda wanted this. She was so happy with Troy and they were making wedding plans. But all she could talk about was a baby. She was my best friend, Edward. I couldn't tell her no after everything she had been through."

He blinked. "H-how did you…do it?" he asked, his voice shaking. _Oh, God. Why did I even ask?_

She curled her lip. "We went to a fertility clinic and I was inseminated. I got pregnant the first try." She smiled sadly at the memory. "Amanda was so happy."

"But how did you feel?" Edward asked, trying to hide his disbelief. _Double holy shit._

She laughed slightly. "I don't know how to describe it. I was happy that I could make her happy, but I was sad that I would not get to keep this baby. I wasn't sure if I could be around her anymore, knowing I would see _my _baby all of the time with _her._ I was embarrassed at what I had done. I was mad at myself for agreeing to it. I had so many emotions running through me, that I couldn't even begin to tell you how I felt. But then…we got the news." She felt her eyes fill up again.

"What news?"

Bella swiped at her eyes again. "Amanda's cancer was back. A bone marrow transplant was her only hope this time. They searched and searched. She went through so much chemo again. She was so sick," Bella whispered, tears running down her cheeks at the memory.

Edward scooted closer to Bella and pulled her close. "What happened?"

She buried her face in his chest, the pain forcing its way back to the surface after she had buried it for so long. "It wasn't enough," she whispered, her voice cracking. "After four months of fighting, she couldn't beat it."

"I'm so sorry, Bella," Edward whispered, kissing the top of her head.

She roughly wiped the tears away. "After the funeral, Troy turned into an ass. He started dating another girl within a month and would barely talk to me."

"Well, Bella, many times, significant others will have problems dealing with the death of their partner and will grieve in many different ways – sometimes by trying to replace their mate."

She glared up at him. "I don't need a psychology lesson, Dr. Cullen. I don't care what his reasons were. He didn't grieve the way _I_ thought was appropriate and he had no thought for the child that I was carrying…for _them_."

He kissed her head again. "Sorry, love. So what did you do?"

"As soon as I graduated, I moved to Jacksonville. He never tried to contact me and I never told him where I was or anything about Ben. I just kept him as my own and listed his father as 'unknown' on his birth certificate. I knew that was what Amanda would have wanted anyway. And I never told anyone what really happened…until today."

"Yes, that was the right thing to do, Bella. But why did you lie to Eric about what happened?" he asked, slightly confused, remembering what Eric had said in the clearing. The monster started growling at just the memory but Edward suppressed him. Eric was gone and would never hurt Bella or Ben again.

Bella sighed. "Because I didn't want him looking for Troy, trying to get money out of him. I was afraid he would think that Troy owed us some sort of financial compensation and I did _not_ want Troy to know anything about Ben or where we were. I was afraid that he might try to take Ben away from me. So I made up the story so Eric would leave it alone." _Leave it to Eric to think Troy owed _him _for me carrying his baby._

"And why did you think that I would not understand?"

She lowered her head. She could not look into his eyes that had softened to warm butterscotch. "I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid that you would think I was a terrible mother – and person – if you knew that the original plan was for me to give Ben up. I didn't want you to think badly of me."

Edward laughed softly, earning a glare from Bella. "Bella, nothing you do could _ever_ cause me to think poorly of you. You are the most wonderful, giving, caring person I've ever met, and I love you for it. You were willing to make a huge sacrifice for your best friend but then plans changed. I'm sorry for the loss of your friend, but I am so thankful for Ben in our lives. I am the monster…not you. Never you."

"You don't think I'm a horrible person?" she asked, surprised. For months, she had imagined the revulsion she would see in his eyes when he found out that she had originally planned to give Ben away.

He kissed her softly on the lips. "Not at all. And never will."

***

"Bella, would you please sit down and relax?" Edward looked up at Bella who was pacing back and forth across Charlie's living room.

She peeked out of the curtains again. "He's still not home. Where is he?"

"I didn't think you were looking forward to this conversation." He pressed gently on his hippo lever so as not to break it. He had already replaced two of Ben's Hungry Hungry Hippos games.

"Wham, wham, wham!" Ben shouted, slamming his lever down in rapid succession. "I'm gonna beat you!"

Bella sat down on the couch and then suddenly stood back up to look out the front window again. "I wasn't, but now I just want to get it over with. But what are we gonna say?"

Edward grabbed another marble with his pink hippo's head. "Just tell him that the problem is taken care of."

"Oh, yeah. 'Hey, Charlie. Great news. No need to worry about my psycho ex-boyfriend because my vampire boyfriend just ripped him to shreds.'" She glared at him. "I don't think so."

Ben grabbed the last marble and stood up dancing. "I won, I won! Oh yeah!"

Edward swung him around, causing him to giggle. "You beat me again, spider-monkey! Bella, it will be fine. And besides, he just turned on the street, so sit down and relax."

She swallowed hard. She still was not sure how to tell Charlie that she no longer had to hide from Eric without spilling Edward's secret and causing Charlie to have a heart attack. "'Kay."

He gave her a brief hug and was sitting serenely on the floor with Ben preparing for another rousing game when Charlie walked through the door. "Charlie."

"Edward," Charlie greeted, slipping off his boots and putting his gun up on the shelf. "Hey, kiddo! Have you beat him like you beat me?"

"Yep!" Ben shouted, already slapping at the black plastic handle and filling the room with the noise that only plastic hitting plastic can make.

"Hey, Bells. You alright? You look kinda pale," Charlie pointed out, walking into the kitchen to grab a beer.

Bella followed him, and began dishing his supper up onto a plate. "Yeah, I'm fine. Actually, I'm more than fine." She sat the plate down in front of him.

He breathed in deeply. "Boy, that smells good. Sure is good to have you back. Didn't realize how used I'd gotten to home cookin'," he quickly added, feeling his face redden.

She nodded, not wanting to prolong the touching moment. "Hey, uh, I found out today that Eric's…gone."

"What'dya mean gone?" Charlie asked, stuffing his mouth with a forkful of pasta. "Last we knew we figured he was in the area after you ran into his mother."

Bella bit her lip. "I'm not really sure. I talked to a friend today who said he just packed up and left. She thought he said something about going to Philadelphia." She felt her face flush. She was not a good liar.

"All the more reason to be on alert."

"Actually," Edward said from the doorway, "my dad got a call from the hospital in Vancouver. He has a friend there and it turns out that Eric was in the area, but that he fell around Multnomah Falls and was fatally injured."

"He died?"

Edward nodded. "Yeah. He had his ID on him and my dad's friend just happened to mention his name. He wanted to run some new procedure by him, but it was too late."

Bella sat with her mouth closed. She knew that Charlie could verify all of this information and could only pray that he did not. _Please don't dig into this!_

"Well, Bells, you must be relieved," Charlie said, wiping his mouth.

She sighed. She still could not find satisfaction in the death of Eric, but she did feel safe for the first time. "I'm starting to feel free."

Charlie nodded and picked up Ben who nestled into the crook of his arm. "Well, then, I guess you'll be heading back to Jacksonville," he said, not meeting her eyes. He instinctively tightened his hold on Ben. The idea of losing the two of them was like a band tightening around his chest, cutting off his oxygen supply. He had come to consider them both as his family.

"Jacksonville?" Bella asked stupidly. "For what?"

Edward stood perfectly still, his features grave. If Bella decided to return to her previous life, then that would be for the best and he would not interfere. But it would tear him apart.

"Well," Charlie said gruffly, then cleared his throat. "I would figure you'd want to go back to your old life now that Eric is gone. You don't have to hide here anymore." He blinked quickly, surprised at the sting that thought brought to his eyes.

Bella stood up and began clearing the table. "I never even thought about it, to tell you the truth. But you're right. I don't have to hide anymore."

***

"Ben, what's wrong?" Bella asked worriedly. He had not spoken since dinner.

"Nothin'," he replied, his eyes downcast, as he let his mother finish drying him off from his bath.

She kissed his head and handed him his toothbrush. "Okay, if you're sure." She helped him brush his teeth and put his pajamas on before taking him into the bedroom where Edward was sitting silently in the old rocking chair.

"Good night, Ben," he said softly, hugging him gently when Ben scrambled up into his lap.

Ben just hugged him tightly before wiggling down and crawling into his bed where Bella waited with his bedtime story.

She exchanged a worried look with Edward before she started reading _Where the Wild Things Are. _Usually, Ben would recite his favorite parts, but tonight, he only stared at the pages as she read. Finally, she put the book down. "Ben, what's wrong?"

Suddenly, he burst into tears.

"I-I don' wanna move back to Flor'da! I hate it there! I don' wanna leave here, mommy! Please don' make us leave!" he cried, his small body shaking with sobs.

Bella gathered him in her arms and rocked him slowly. "Shhh. Baby, it's okay."

"I-I don' wanna leave Granpa Charlie an' Edward an' Nana Esme an' Aunt Rose an' Uncle Emmett an' everbody!" Tears continued to fall down Ben's cheeks.

Edward sat down on the side of his bed. "Ben, don't worry about it. Everything will work out."

Ben sniffled and wiped his nose on Bella's shirt. "Pinky promise?" he asked then held his hand out with his pinky finger extended.

"Pinky promise," Edward said with a smile and wrapped his large finger around Ben's small one.

Ben lay down and closed his eyes, occasionally taking a deep, shaky breath as his mind and body slipped into sleep. Once he was asleep, Edward spoke.

"So, what have you decided to do?"

Bella ran her hand through her hair and sighed. "I'm surprised you even have to ask."

Edward sighed. "Bella, for Ben's and your safety, I think you should consider moving back to Jacksonville."

**End Note: We are wrapping it up...I figure a few more chapters will do it. Let me know what you guys thought! Thanks for reading! Now just hit that little review button there!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: ****Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed! We have about one, maybe two, more chapters left! I'll be sad to say good-bye to Edward, Bella, and Ben.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Twilight. I only own Ben and Eric.**

"Bella, for Ben's and your safety, I think you should consider moving back to Jacksonville."

Bella stared at Edward, her mouth dropping open.

When she did not move, Edward spoke again. "Bella, did you hear me?" He was worried that his proclamation might have put her into shock.

She suddenly snapped her mouth shut, took a deep breath, and then opened it again. "Edward Anthony Cullen! You can be such a _dumbass_ sometimes! If you believe for one moment that I'm leaving Forks and everything here behind – especially _you_ – then you better think again!"

Ben suddenly flopped over in the bed before settling down, his breathing becoming steady once more.

Edward suddenly wished that her mouth would snap shut again. "Bella, love, just hear me out. I did what I set out to do. I protected you from Eric and from Alice's vision. So there's no need for you to endanger yourself or Ben any longer by being around a family of vampires." _I'm not sure if I can live without you, but I know I could _not_ live with myself if anything were to happen to you._

She glared at him. "You and your stupid high ideals are going to drive me crazy! And what do you mean…you did what you set out to do? What, I was just some-some…_mission_?" Her voice kept creeping up in volume.

Edward inwardly groaned. He knew he had just stepped out of the proverbial frying pan and into the fire. "That wasn't exactly what I meant." He was so smooth and persuasive with others who crossed his path. Normally, he could manipulate a situation and the person within it to his liking. But Bella was anything except normal. She fought him at every turn if she felt his suggestion was not in her best interest – or would separate her from him.

She crossed her arms and stared at him. "Then please fill me in." _Please don't let me fall for his topaz eyes and that angelic face! He'll have me agreeing to move to Kalamazoo!_

"All I was saying was that if you decided to go back to Jacksonville, I could rest easy, knowing that Alice's vision cannot come to pass now."

"But you just said that you _wanted_ me to go back to Jacksonville." Bella clenched her jaw. The man was driving her completely insane. Just when the happily ever after was within their reach, he wanted to shove it away. _What was wrong with him? Enough of the freaking martyrdom! _

He groaned again. "Bella, I _do_ think that you would be safer in Jacksonville – away from me. You could go back to your old life. Be Anna Russo again." The thought of Bella Swan ceasing to exist was causing him more mental anguish than he thought he could bear.

Bella clenched her hands into fists. "Damn it, Edward! I don't _want_ my old life back. I'm not Anna Russo anymore. Are you _trying_ to get rid of me? Do you _want_ me to go?" She reached out and smacked him on the chest and immediately cradled her hand. "Ow! Shit, shit, shit," she mumbled. _Stupid, indestructible vampire._

"Let me see," he said quietly.

She turned away from him. "Just leave me alone. Like you want to do," she pouted. She knew she was acting childish, but did not care. She had been prepared for Edward to ask her to stay with him – since he did not run off when he heard her final secret – now that Eric was out of the way. She had even secretly wondered if he might propose.

So she figured that to be basically rejected by the vampire she loved gave her the license to act childish.

"Of course I don't want you to go! You are my reason for living. I just don't want you rushing into a decision and later regretting it," he said softly. "I would feel responsible. Is it broken?" _Refocus. Get yourself out of the corner you're backed into._

Bella finally withdrew her wrath and slipped her arms around his waist. His granite chest and marble arms encircling her was a familiar comfort, yet one that never failed to take her breath away and make her heart skip several beats. "It's just swollen. Edward, I'm not leaving Forks. This is my home. _Here_…with _you_ and Charlie and your family. For the first time in my life, I feel like I'm where I belong. I'm _not_ Anna anymore. I don't even remember who she is. I know who Bella is and I _like_ her; she _is_ who I'm supposed to be."

Edward dropped a light kiss onto her silky, brown hair, the strawberry fragrance mixing with the ambrosial scent of her blood. That aroma always left Edward feeling as if he could conquer the world – and as if he had not had a decent meal in a fortnight. "I would be lost without you and Ben. But if you stay, I want it to be because you _want_ to, not because you feel that you have to." _Don't leave me, Bella. I'm selfish enough to admit I want you with me…forever._

She pulled back reluctantly and looked into his amber eyes. "Of course it's because I want to. I don't want to leave you, _ever_. And I don't want to leave Charlie; he's become the father I never had. Plus, I can't imagine what another move would do to Ben. He's thriving here. He's actually forming bonds with other people – something he's never been able to do before."

"Only if you're sure, love." Edward looked as if he were in pain. _Why won't she take the opportunity to run when it's given to her? I just hope nothing happens – whether accidental or not – to hurt her…or worse._

Bella pulled herself out of his embrace. "That's it. I've had it with your 'woe-is-me' attitude, Edward."

"What do you mean?" he asked, surprised.

She put her good hand on her hips. "You know what I'm talking about. All this time, you've been telling me how I deserve to be happy, right?"

He nodded. _No one deserves it more._

"Well, the same goes for you too. It doesn't matter if you're a vampire. You deserve to be happy. You are _not_ a bad person, Edward. And you just happen to be the man I love, vampire or not. So let yourself be happy for once," she practically begged.

"Not if it means risking hurting you," he whispered, his face contorted in pain.

She sat down wearily on her bed, her head in her hands. "I'm not leaving." _Never leaving you._

"Somehow I knew you would say that."

She continued to stare at the floor, not wanting to see his face when she spoke again. "What if I were unbreakable…unable to be hurt?" she whispered. After a few minutes of tense silence, she finally found the courage to peek up at Edward. He looked angrier than she had ever seen.

"You have no idea what you've just suggested," he said, his normally velvet voice strangled. "No." _What the fuck is she thinking? Hell, no!_

She straightened up, encouraged by the fact that he had not demolished anything or disappeared out of the window. "But then you wouldn't have to worry about me being around you or your family!"

Edward clenched his teeth until he knew that had he not been a supernatural being, they would have shattered. How could she ask this? How could she even entertain the idea? He was not worth her giving up her life – her soul – for him. "I said no."

Bella finally stood up and faced him, afraid of him for the first time. He looked like an avenging angel, his jaw clenched, his posture rigid, his eyes like two flames. "Well…I'm not _asking_ your permission," she said, her voice slightly wavering.

He just stared at her, not trusting himself to speak at this point. He needed to leave before he said something he would regret – and that would send her running to Jacksonville. _Just go…gogogogogogogo._

After a few moments, Bella spoke. "We'll discuss it with everyone tomorrow. If they are all against it, fine. I'll drop the subject. But if not, then I want you to consider it."

"I'll never consider it," he murmured. _Over my dead fucking body. Haha. _

"Like hell," she said before he jumped out of the window and ran into the forest.

He needed a good run to clear his head – and possibly a tussle with a mountain lion to work off his anger. But as infuriated as he was in that moment, he could not stop the twitch at the corner of his mouth.

***

"I'm sure Edward has told you all why we're here," Bella said nervously, looking at all of the Cullens sitting around the large table in the dining/conference room.

"Sure," Emmett piped in. "To decide if we're gonna keep ya, ship ya back to Florida, or…have you for dinner." He made a show of licking his lips.

At Bella's shocked expression, Emmett burst into peals of laughter. "Just messin' with ya. We wouldn't ship you back to Florida."

She let out a small laugh. She was not finding Emmett very funny – a small testament to how thin her nerves were stretched.

"Oh, shut up, Emmett," Esme said, coming around the table to embrace Bella. "Yes, dear, we know what you would like to speak with us about. And don't worry about what Emmett said. He was just teasing you."

"Oh, I know," Bella replied, although she was sure the vampires in the room all picked up on the slight waver in her voice that betrayed her.

Carlisle gestured to a chair on the left of the table and Bella sat with Edward on her right. He immediately covered her hand with his. "Well, Bella, the floor is yours."

Rosalie interrupted. "Wait. Where's Benjamin?"

"He's with Charlie. There's a Mariner's game on tonight," Bella explained.

Emmett threw himself back in the chair, causing the wood to creak in protest. "Oh, hell. I'm gonna miss it."

"Don't feel like you have to stay on my account," Bella snapped, stung.

"I vote she stays," he laughed. "Any human that can take my shit needs to stick around. They don't make 'em like that anymore, Edward."

Edward offered a small smile in return. He had yet to speak to anyone in the room. He was still distraught over the idea that Bella would even consider trading her life for the horror that was his existence. Just for him. _Insane_.

_It will happen, Edward._ Alice had her eyes aimed at the far wall, but her thoughts were directed straight at her brother.

Edward minutely moved his head to the left, which was his signal to her that he disagreed. _I can't let Bella – beautiful, warm, clumsy Bella – become a monster, regardless of what she believes she wants._

"Let's get back on subject, please," Carlisle said quietly. There was no need for him to raise his voice as everyone automatically acquiesced to the patriarch of the family. "Bella, please continue."

Bella took a deep breath, suddenly nervous now that she had a chance to present her case. "Okay. As you all know, Eric is…dead." She almost choked on the word. "He was the only thing that I was hiding from and now, there is no reason for me to stay in hiding. And _Edward_ mentioned yesterday that he now thinks it's best that Ben and I return to Jacksonville and to our _old_ life so we can be safe from him."

"Edward, you are such a jackass!" Rosalie hissed at her brother. "How could you? They are in no danger from us!"

Edward sighed. He knew Rose was upset at the idea of losing the little boy she had come to love as her own. Her maternal instincts had finally found an outlet and she did not want to lose it. "Rosalie, please listen – "

"No! Why do you get to make this decision?" she asked heatedly.

"Bella, do you want to leave?" Carlisle interjected before his two children could get into a fully fledged fight. He did not just fall off of the Edward-Rosalie turnip truck.

Edward and Rosalie stopped speaking, but everyone could see that Rose continued to yell obscenities at Edward in her mind that only he was privy to.

"Of course not!" Bella insisted. "That's why I wanted to discuss this, as it impacts you all. I have no desire to return to Florida – or to go back to being Anna – but Edward felt that I would be putting Ben and myself in danger if I stayed here. From him…and you. I'm not going to risk causing you all problems, or upsetting your cover here, so if you all think I need to go, then that's what I'll do." _Please tell me you don't want me to go!_

Alice reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "I want you to stay. We're best friends! I can't imagine not having you around! And I'll see if anything dangerous is coming."

Bella smiled at her. "Thanks, Alice."

"I vote she stays," Jasper said quietly. "It would make it easier on me. Plus, you know I like you," he added with a grin.

"You know I want you both to stay," Rosalie said. While Benjamin was not her son, there was no way she was giving him up. Edward could just kiss her ass.

Bella thought it was charitable of her to include her in that statement. "Thanks."

Emmett spread his arms wide. "Bella, you should already know what I think. None of us are gonna hurt you. I was just kidding about the dinner remark. I find you very entertaining."

Bella drew her brows together. "Er…thanks, I think."

Emmett flashed her a wide smile.

"I already think of you as a daughter," Esme said quietly. "And I can't imagine this house without the sounds of that sweet little boy in it. Please don't go, Bella."

"Edward," Carlisle addressed, "I know that you are fearful of what might befall Bella in a houseful of vampires. But she is already like family and I don't see any of us harming her. And I know that if she and Benjamin were to leave, you would fall into a deep depression and I am not sure what would save you. I cannot let that happen to you. I love you too much."

Bella nodded her head. "Well, I guess that's it. Thank you all." _Hallelujah!_

"I haven't voted yet," Edward said quietly.

She turned to look at him. "And?"

"You already know what I would prefer."

Bella stood up suddenly, her chair falling over behind her. "If you don't want me anymore, just say so, Edward. I'm a big girl. I can take it. But the one thing I won't take is you humiliating me in front of your family. I put up with a lot of shit when I was with Eric and I promised myself when I got on that plane in Jacksonville that I would never do it again. And I don't care if you're a vampire, a witch, or a freaking demon, I'm not going to take shit off of you either!" She felt the tears stinging her eyes and furiously swiped at her face. She did not want to cry in front of the Cullens.

Edward looked as if she had just plunged a stake through his dead heart; everyone else just exchanged glances with each other. Some were surprised and others were excited. "Bella," he whispered. "I would never treat you the way Eric did." The very idea was more than even his supernatural mind could handle. She was his entire world. _How could she even think…?_

"I know that," she said quietly. "But stop trying to push me away. I'm _not_ leaving you, Edward. You think I'm in danger being with you, but we've been together for months now and you've never done anything to hurt me. You know how clumsy I am. I'm in more danger walking across the street or going up the stairs at work than I am being with you."

"That's the truth, man," Emmett piped in. _Dude, seriously. Don't fuck this up!_

Rosalie smacked him on the back of the head. "Shut up," she hissed.

"I trust you," Bella whispered. "Implicitly. Forever."

Edward suddenly wrapped his arms around her, being careful not to crush her, allowing her to invade his senses. Her scent overwhelmed him and he felt the taste wash over his tongue; her warm, soft skin was like a sedative, the blood pulsating just underneath was like an amphetamine. She was his own personal heroin – highly addictive after the first hit and he was unable to kick the habit. The venom began to flood his mouth, but he swallowed it and was satisfied that no murderous thoughts filled his mind, no monster whispered in his ear that _one little bite would not hurt_. "I love you, Bella. I never wanted you to leave; I only wanted what was best for you."

Bella felt the iron grip around her and reveled in it. She would never tire of it. "You _are_ what's best for me. Me and Ben both."

He sighed and buried his face in her hair. He always expected her to try to run away or to at least flinch, but she never did. Her faith in him was unwavering – and humbling. "All right. I'll admit it. And you only make me better. Stay with me, Bella. Here, in Forks."

She let out a sigh of relief. "You never even had to ask. But what about when…?"

Edward let out a growl of frustration. He did not need to be able to read her mind to know what she was leading toward. He had hoped she would dismiss that crazy idea. But, like always, she once again did what he least expected.

"It _will_ happen," Alice chimed in. "I've seen it Bella."

"What?" everyone was asking.

"Really? Wh-when? How? Wh-who?" Bella spluttered. She had never actually imagined Edward agreeing to change her.

"Bella will become one of us," Alice explained simply. "I've seen it."

Carlisle and Esme gasped.

"Excellent," Emmett said, another wide grin on his face.

Rosalie shook her head. "No," she said quietly. "You don't want this."

"I don't know the details or the reason. I just see you as one of us," Alice explained.

"I learned long ago not to doubt what she sees," Jasper said smugly.

"I can't listen to this," Edward said quietly, although the fury was radiating off of him in waves.

Bella grabbed onto his hand, begging. "Edward, please! As I said, you know how clumsy I am. I'm liable to kill myself accidentally one day anyway. This is one way you _can_ protect me. And I want to be with you forever."

"Why isn't it enough to just have a long life with me?" he demanded. Why were girls never satisfied with what they had?

"Because a long life isn't guaranteed to anyone. I could go out tomorrow and get killed in a car accident. You don't know what's going to happen. And Alice might see it too late for you to save me."

He sighed deeply. "If something happens to you, then I'll change you, but only then." He felt that was a huge compromise on his part and that the issue should have been closed at that point. _Of course, no dice._

She shook her head. "That's not good enough. People die instantly all of the time. Can you change someone who's dead?" she asked Carlisle.

"No. The heart must still be beating in order to move the venom through the body," he said quietly.

"See?" she pleaded.

He turned his eyes on her, trying to charm her into his will. "Just wait until you're older. Please."

She walked away a few steps then turned back around. "And be stuck at age 70 while you're 25? No thanks. You say you want to protect me. This is how you can." _God, why are men such idiots?_

"But what about Ben, Bella?" Rosalie asked quietly. "Have you thought it through and what you would do with him as it would take at least a year before you would be able to be around him? And could you be a mother to a human child?"

She stared from one to the other, different expressions written on each painfully beautiful face. "Yes, I have. And if you would all care for him while I'm gone, I'm ready now."


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thanks again to everyone who has read or read and reviewed. I think I've responded to everyone's reviews. We're coming to the end now with either one or two chapters left. I hope you enjoy!**

"But what about Ben, Bella?" Rosalie asked quietly. "Have you thought it through and what you would do with him as it would take at least a year before you would be able to be around him? And could you be a mother to a human child?"

She stared from one to the other, different expressions written on each painfully beautiful face. "Yes, I have. And if you would all care for him while I'm gone, I'm ready now."

Each of the Cullens stared at Bella without speaking; Emmett's mouth was gaping open. Finally, the tense silence was broken by Carlisle's nervous laugh.

"Bella, I don't believe that there is any reason to be in such a rush. There's plenty of time to allow us to make plans."

"Bella," Edward whispered in shock. "Please consider what you're doing – what this would mean to Ben." He had acquiesced to her desire to stay with him in Forks. He had been damn cheerful about it, truth be known, once he had dealt with his darker emotions. But _this_…_this_ could not happen. Not to his Bella. At least, not _now_. And how she could be so sure, so…_flippant_ about it…

She whirled around to face Edward, becoming entangled in her own feet in her haste and excitement. Grabbing onto his glacial arm for balance, she looked up at him with bright eyes. "See? I could have died. Right there! And I _am_ thinking of Ben. He's seen me as an insubstantial human long enough. He's watched me be beaten down by someone that I couldn't protect us from. I want him to know that I'll always be there for him…forever. And that I'll be able to protect him from whatever might be out there. He's had enough trauma for one lifetime."

"Nothing about you is insubstantial, Bella."

"Of course we'll keep him for you, Bella," Rosalie interjected. "For however long we need to, if you are determined to do this." _Don't fuck this up for me, Edward._

Edward scowled at Rosalie, furious that all she was concerned with was her desire to get her hands on Ben for an extended period of time. Was it too much to ask for her to be a little apprehensive about how quickly his own love was ready to shed her humanity and embrace becoming a monster? He was amazed at how selfish Rosalie was actually behaving in this situation, considering how she fought against everything she was. "Bella, love, you know that my family will help you however you need them to, but these are Ben's formative years and I can't believe that you would want to miss them."

Bella sighed, looking at each painfully beautiful face staring back at her. "Of course I don't want to miss anything of Ben's life. But, if I'm going to do this, then I know I can't be around him for a long time. And I would rather do it now than wait for when he's in school and will remember it vividly," she said pointedly. "That's all we need. 'Hey, Ben, where's your mom? Oh, she's out of town, learning how not to eat people.' That'd be really great, Edward." She crossed her arms across her chest.

"Uh, technically, we drink their blood, we don't eat them."

Bella rolled her eyes at Emmett's sarcasm.

"Do you honestly believe that you can provide the nurturing that a human child needs as a new vampire?" Jasper asked quietly, his expression brooding. _Edward, does she really know what she's getting in to or is she just glamorizing the vampire life?_

Edward shrugged, uncharacteristically gauche. _Of course she thinks we have a fantastic life, but I think she knows it's no picnic._

"Um, yes. I do." Surprise was evident in her tone.

"Even after a year, many newborns are still consumed by their thirst and can only think of the hunt," he said simply. "You could very well kill him if you were to be too close." _Like I almost did. And I'm not even a newborn._

Edward wished his brother would stop punishing himself for the almost-accident that had occurred several months prior. Nothing had come of it and Bella and Jasper had actually grown a bit closer from the incident. _I'm going to have to try to reason with him again._

She shivered. "It won't be that way for me; Edward won't let it." She looked at him hopefully and sighed in relief when he nodded slightly. "_Nothing_ could change my devotion to Ben. Besides, as I've pointed out, I'm very likely to end up on TV on _1,000 Ways to Die_ as one of the stupidest deaths ever with my klutziness. Who would take care of Ben if I were dead?"

"Bella –" Edward started, a pained look on his face. The thought of her not…existing…was too horrible to even consider.

"You know we would take care of Ben if anything were to happen to you," Rosalie interrupted, a slightly hungry glint in her eye.

Bella shivered again. "Exactly. Which would still leave Ben being raised by vampires. So as far as I'm concerned, that's a moot point."

Jasper just nodded, his mouth turned up slightly. _No more argument from this corner._

"Bella," Esme said softly, "you know I love that little boy as one of my own, as I do you. But why the rush? Carlisle is right. This isn't something you have to do immediately. And what about Charlie? We all know that Ben will eventually know, as you do now. But one day, we _will_ have to leave Forks, and I know that you have formed a strong bond with Charlie."

_Has she thought of how Charlie will react to her disappearing? She can't live in Forks after her transformation for several centuries._

Edward nodded infinitesimally at Carlisle. He could have kissed Esme for bringing Charlie up as he knew that this just might be her Achilles heel. She and Charlie were more like father-daughter than landlord-renter and she knew that to take Benjamin away from him would be just like a dagger to his heart.

Bella opened and closed her mouth several times before gulping. "Um, yeah. Yeah I have."

_Edward, stop it!_ Alice shouted at him silently.

He glared at her in return. If Bella was hell bent on trading her life – and possibly soul – for him, then no one should expect him to play fair. He did not want her throwing it back in his face five hundred years from now how he never told her what she would be giving up to take on the cloak of immortality.

Esme put her marble arm around Bella's shoulder. "And what have you decided?"

Bella suddenly turned and wrapped her arms around Esme's neck. Every vampire in the room could smell the salty tang of the tears she was trying desperately to keep at bay. "I don't know," she wailed. "I love Charlie so much, and so does Ben. I can't hurt him, I just can't. Isn't there any way I can see him…after?" she asked, sniffing.

_Should _I_ tell her, so she won't believe that you are being unreasonable in your desire to thwart her wishes? _Carlisle asked Edward.

"Yes." Edward answered so quietly that Bella's human ears could not hear.

Carlisle placed a comforting hand on Bella's back while she was still in his wife's embrace. "Bella, we all understand how much you care for Charlie. But once the transformation takes place, you will want to be in a remote area, far from here. Newborn vampires are very thirsty and very strong, so you will have to stay as far from any humans as possible. But then, even after you've gained control over your thirst, you and Edward will have to move somewhere other than Forks."

"Why?" she sniffled.

He smiled at her kindly. "Because the differences in you will be extremely noticeable to everyone who knows you. No one here has known us as anything different, but you, on the other hand… Charlie would know immediately that something was horribly different. You can tell him anything you'd like about why you left, but you will not be able to come back and visit."

Bella nodded, wiping her eyes.

Edward stepped forward and held his arms open for her. Even though he would fight this desire of hers with every tool in his arsenal, he could not bear to see her in pain. "Bella?" he whispered.

She flew into his arms and he wondered how many bruises she had covering her body from his embraces and touches. _It _would_ be nice if I didn't have to worry about hurting her every moment of every day…_ He immediately chastised himself for allowing such an evil thought to invade his mind. His desires were not important – Bella's well-being was all that mattered. "Shhh, love. It's all right. Remember, you don't have to do anything. You don't have to even think about leaving Charlie."

"N-nice tr-try," she hiccupped, causing Emmett to burst out in laughter and finally breaking the tension that had blanketed the room.

Alice flitted closer to her. "Bella, you know that you're basically already my sister, and I can't wait until you're my sister in every way –"

Edward growled.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up, Edward. But, Bella, just take some time and make sure this is what you want. And it's like Esme said, you don't have to do anything right now. We're not going anywhere."

Bella nodded and inhaled deeply. "Thanks."

_See, I've told you I can be reasonable_, Alice directed at Edward and he could picture her sticking her tongue out at him. He grimaced in reply.

Emmett clapped his hands loudly and then rubbed them together, a large grin on his face. "So, are we making a new vampire tonight or what?"

Jasper shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Emmett, you are so uncouth."

Emmett straightened up and looked around at each of his family members, his eyes full of innocence. "What?" He then walked over to Bella and pried her out of Edward's embrace, ignoring the murderous glare his brother was shooting him. "So, sis, whada'ya say? There's five of us here, ready to dig in…"

Bella bit her lower lip. "Um, thanks, Emmett, but I think I'll wait for Carlisle…or Edward."

Jasper let out a whoop. "Told you! Pay up!"

"Aw, dude! Come on! How about this? Double or nothing…she's a vampire by the end of the month?"

Esme was staring at her sons, a mixture of disbelief and disgust painted on her features. _Did they…? Do they mean…? Surely not…_

"DO YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT YOU TWO HAD A BET ON WHETHER OR NOT BELLA WAS GOING TO BECOME A VAMPIRE _TONIGHT_?" Edward bellowed, his normally poised frame shaking in anger.

"Oh, hell," Emmett whined, backing up toward Rosalie.

Edward suddenly stopped and an angelic smile crossed his face. "Why don't you tell Rose what you lost in the bet, Em?"

_You motherfucker!_ _She's gonna kill me!_

"It's either her or me, and right now, I think she'll go easier on you," he growled.

Bella stared back and forth between Edward, Emmett, and Rosalie, a look of confusion on her face. "Edward…?"

He laughed lightly. "Emmett bet Rosalie's M3…and lost," he added happily.

"M3?"

"The red convertible."

"Oh," she replied, no trace of laughter in her voice.

By now, Rosalie had Emmett pinned on the ground outside and was giving him a good beating. Edward knew, however, that most of their fights usually ended with them both naked and he wanted to get Bella out of the house before that occurred. He thought she had been stressed enough for one day. Plus, he knew that Jasper was tampering with their emotions so the fight would be more spectacular. "What do you say I take you home now? I'm sure you're exhausted."

Bella nodded, craning her neck to see the two vampires wrestling in the yard.

Edward could hear where their thoughts were turning and so he hustled her out of the house.

***

Bella leaned back against her headboard, fully relaxed for the first time in a long time. Eric was gone and could never hurt her again – or be able to threaten Ben. Ben was sleeping soundly in his small bed beside her, his breathing soft and even; it was a soothing sound. But most of all, Edward was sitting across from her, his face tranquil, her favorite crooked smile in place, and his golden eyes shining at her. She sighed in contentment.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

She laughed quietly. "Bet you've never had to say that before."

He laughed along with her. "No, usually I get them for free…except yours. Tell me what you're thinking." His eyes were scorching.

Bella felt her face flame and her stomach turn a somersault and, for the thousandth time, cursed herself that she was so weak. Then she gave thanks to the heavens above for sending this marvelous creature to her. "I was just thinking about everything. About how happy I am that Eric's gone and we're safe. And about how much I love you and want to be with you forever."

He cringed at her reference to 'forever.' "Bella, about earlier –"

She flung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. "Don't. Just don't. Do _not_ try to talk me out of it, Edward." She turned toward him and glared, knowing her glower was nowhere near as impressive as his.

Edward sighed. "I'm not, but I just want you to consider everything. Think about Ben."

"I already have." She crossed her arms in a stubborn gesture. Why did he have to bring this up _again_? Why could he not just admit defeat and accept it?

"No. I mean, what about when he's older? What will you do then? What if he wants to become one of us too?" His topaz eyes bored into her chocolate ones.

Bella fought to keep her heart from racing erratically and air in her lungs. She broke eye contact. "Then I'll support him. I'll bite him myself," she said stubbornly. "If that's what he wants."

"But what if he doesn't? What if he wants to stay human?"

Where was he going with this? She wished he would quit talking in circles before she caught herself in a trap. "Then that's fine too."

"And you could watch your own son die while you went on to live an immortal life…with me?" he asked quietly.

_Damn it! Damn him and his super genius mind!_ "Edward…," she started, sinking back down onto the bed.

"Bella, I just want you to be aware of everything _before_ you make a decision. Once the process starts, you can't change your mind."

"But if you leave me human, then that's exactly what you'll do with both me _and_ Ben," she challenged. "You'll watch us _both_ die while you go on beautiful as ever, forever."

Edward sighed. "No, I won't. I already have it all planned out."

She stared at him, openmouthed. "You've already planned my funeral?" she squeaked.

He shook his head slowly, once again surprised by what she deduced from that statement. "Not exactly."

Bella crossed her arms again. "Well, Edward Cullen, it doesn't matter, because I don't care what you say, I'm going to be changed. I'd like for you to do it, but if you won't, then Carlisle will. So whatever you had _planned_ for my _funeral_ is null and void." She turned away from him.

He could not help but chuckle. Her righteous indignation was humorous, even if misplaced.

"And now you laugh at me."

And he did. He could not stop the laugh that escaped from his lips, but he caught her before she swept from the room in outrage. "Bella, love, forgive me, but you are so adorable when you're angry."

She stomped her foot. "I'm not trying to be adorable! I'm mad!"

He bit back another chuckle and just nodded, biting his lower lip. "I know, and I do apologize."

Bella narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips together.

"But perhaps we can work out an arrangement."

She raised an eyebrow in question.

"A compromise…if you will."

"What kind of compromise?" she finally asked, suspicion dripping from her voice.

"How badly do you want me to be the one to change you?" he asked shrewdly.

Bella gasped, certain that Edward would never have agreed to _that_ in a million years. "Oh…um…"

He smiled slightly. "If you'll wait five years, I'll do it myself."

She shook her head violently. "No way! I'll be thirty!" she said, horrorstruck. "One year."

"Bella," he said, condescendingly. "Do you really think I'd agree to that?"

"I thought we were negotiating."

"What do you have that I want?"

She paused before speaking. "Marry me, Edward. I have the family you've always wanted," she whispered, slightly fearing his reaction and not expecting what she saw.

Edward was aghast. Appalled. But Bella backed away when a look of horror crossed his face.

"Well, if you don't want to, you don't have to," she sniffed, stung. She wanted nothing more than to flee the room and never face him again.

"Bel-Bella," he squeaked, causing Bella to spin around at his unusually rough voice.

_He sounds like he's going through puberty,_ she thought spitefully. "Yes?" she asked stiffly.

He shook his head, stunned. "You can't ask me that."

"And why not? Is it against the rules?" she asked acidly. She wanted him to just leave so she could break down. _I never thought Edward, of all people, would reject me!_

"Because you're a girl," he said stupidly.

"How nice of you to notice," she spat.

He shook his head again. "Girls _cannot_ propose. It's just…not _right_."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Say what?"

"The girl _cannot_ ask the man to marry her. It's against etiquette guidelines."

"Says who?" she asked, flabbergasted.

"Emily Post."

She stared at him for a moment. "Who the hell is Emily Post?"

Edward sighed. "Only the etiquette guru of the twentieth century, Bella."

"Ookaayy," she drawled. "And _we_ are in the twenty-_first_ century. Times have changed."

He sighed again. "Please, Bella. I…_can't_…let you be the one to propose marriage. It's just…wrong."

Bella shook her head slowly. "You are so weird. And besides, it doesn't matter anyway since the idea of marrying me was apparently the worst idea you've ever heard."

He looked at her silently.

"Fine. I'll just go to Carlisle then," she said through gritted teeth and flopped back on the bed, turning away from Edward. _Men!_

Bella could feel his eyes boring into her back, but she refused to turn over to look at him. She had opened herself up to him – exposed her most raw and fragile emotions – and he just spouted some shit about etiquette. His damn etiquette rules could kiss her ass.

"Bella, please look at me," Edward whispered.

"Why?" Bella heard Edward sigh and she knew that she was pushing his patience, but she knew that she had every right to be angry. And she was trying not to cry.

"Because we can't discuss this if you won't look at me."

Bella finally turned onto her back and glared at him. She found it was very difficult to stay mad at him when he looked so damn breathtaking, sitting on her bed and looking very remorseful, hence the reason she originally wanted to face the wall. "So talk," she spat, trying to keep her angry act up.

He looked at her a few more seconds before his mouth opened. "So, if I agreed to change you myself, you would marry me?"

"I didn't think you wanted to marry me," she sniffed.

"Bella, don't be absurd. You are the love of my existence, of course I want to marry you."

She swiped at her eyes. "So now I'm absurd?"

Edward growled in frustration. "Bella, please stop turning my words around on me!"

"Then say what you mean!"

"I'm trying!" he yelled. As her eyes welled up with tears, he immediately pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry, please forgive me." He stroked her hair back and gently wiped the tears from her face.

She shook her head. "No, Edward. I'm the one being a bitch. I just feel like you keep avoiding anything that has to do with staying with me forever, like changing me or marrying me. Tell me I'm crazy," she begged softly.

"Of course you are," he whispered. "The idea of changing you appeals to me on so many levels, but I can't imagine committing such an egoistic deed. I would do anything to keep you with me forever, but for me to condemn you for eternity would be the ultimate selfish act on my part."

She nuzzled into his neck, breathing his sweet scent in deeply, enjoying the heady feeling it gave her. She had never taken drugs, but she vaguely wondered if his smell made her high – as if he were her own personal heroin. "It's time for you to be a little selfish, Edward. And it's what I want. _You_ are what I want."

"So, if I agree to change you myself, you'll marry me?"

She felt her brow crease as she thought over his proposition. "Yeah, but I want you to change me first." No way in hell was he backing out.

Edward shook his head. "No, the wedding first." When Bella opened her mouth to argue, he cut her off. "Bella, you heard Carlisle. As a newborn, you would be wild, feral, almost uncontrollable. And you won't be able to come back to Forks to visit Charlie. Don't you want him at the wedding? I thought you would want him to walk you down the aisle."

_Son of a bitch! He did it again!_ Bella felt her throat constrict. "Yeah, I do."

He nodded. "See? I'm not going to trick you, Bella. But this way, Ben could be in the wedding too. And then, we could use the honeymoon as our excuse to leave and while we're away, we just might find where we want to move to."

Bella bit her lip, silently agreeing with his logic. "Fine." _Stupid, logical vampire._

Edward's face split into a large, perfect smile. "Good. Now then, we have to do this right." He stood up with the grace of a panther and then bent down on one knee in front of her, taking her hands in his.

She rolled her eyes and felt her face flush hot. "Edward, please. I basically just accepted."

"Just shut up and don't ruin the moment."

Bella looked into his butterscotch eyes and saw love and desire swirling in their depths. She felt her heartbeat stutter and skip. "Shutting up," she croaked.

Edward smiled. "Isabella Marie Swan, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

She was surprised to feel a lump in her throat; she had to clear her throat a few times before she could speak. "Y-yes, I will. Forever."

"For eternity."

Bella wiped the moisture from her eyes, but even with slightly blurry vision, she did not miss the look of pain that swept across Edward's face at his mention of eternity. But she now had her promise from him – and she knew that he would not renege on his word. Which meant she now had Edward.

Forever.

For all of eternity.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Well, here we are...the end. This has been a fabulous experience and I have enjoyed each and every moment I have spent in this story, whether it was actually writing it or it was reading the wonderful reviews and comments you guys left.**

**Oh, and Bella's joke in this chapter is courtesy of Marti1013. She is a reader here at and she left me the funniest review for the last chapter with reference to this and I asked her that if I could work it into the chapter, if it would be okay to use it. She said she would be delighted.**

**Also, the sequel to this story has been officially started and is titled Into the Hands of My Fathers. You can find it here under my profile or on Twilighted . net under the same title. I'd love for you guys to check it out!**

**So, without further adieu...**

_Three months later_

"Edward, where are we going?" Bella asked, surveying all of the items he had laid out on the counter. Sandwiches, crackers, sodas, water bottles, and assorted fruit littered the granite countertops in the Cullens' kitchen, and the floor was piled with blankets, a cooler, and a large picnic basket.

He threw Bella her favorite crooked smile. "It's a surprise."

"Please?" she pleaded, trying to turn on a puppy dog look, but faintly concerned that she only managed to appear as if she had been a recent stroke victim.

Edward laughed. "Don't even bother, Bella. It won't work."

"Yeah, right," Esme piped in. "She has you wrapped around her little finger."

Bella smirked.

"I know she does, but I'm still not spilling anything about where we're going."

"Hey, Edward!" Ben shouted, running into the kitchen at full speed, a baseball bat in his hand. "Can you show me to play baseball?" he spluttered from excitement.

Edward picked Ben up and sat him on the counter next to a bowl of grapes. "Sure I can. Did you find a ball?"

Ben looked around his sitting area, his face scrunched in concentration. "Yeah, but I lost it. Can I take my soccer ball, too, an' my teddy bear, an' my crayons?"

Bella laughed at his excitement. "Ben, you can't take your entire toy box. Just pick two things that you want to take."

"Just two?" Ben whined.

"Don't whine, Ben," Bella said firmly. "That is _not_ the way we get things accomplished around here."

Edward looked at her with one eyebrow raised.

"Oh, shut up, Edward," she grumbled.

Ben gasped. "Oh, mmooomm," he whispered in shock. "You said a _bad_ _word_."

Edward and Esme broke out in laughter and Bella quickly followed. As much as she did not like to be reprimanded in front of her future family by her own son, she was just ecstatic to see Edward so…light. He was so free and happy these days that she never wanted anything to ever cause him to feel distraught or depressed again. So, if it required her to receive a scolding by Ben for saying _shut up_, then she would take it. "You're right, baby, I did. I'm sorry. I won't say it again because we don't say those words."

"Uncle Emmett says 'em. He says _really_ bad words."

Bella sighed. "Yes, I know, but Uncle Emmett was raised in a cave, so he doesn't count."

"Hey!" Emmett shouted from upstairs. "I count for everything!"

Ben giggled. "An' you gotta tell Edward that you're sorry, too. Just don' kiss 'im," he added, nose wrinkled in revulsion.

Bella laughed again. "All right. Edward, I'm sorry I told you to shut up. And, Ben, I won't kiss him. And, Edward, I would appreciate it if you would speak to your brother about inappropriate words."

"I heard that!"

"Good!" Bella shouted. "You're corrupting my son!"

"Aw, Bella, come on. I wasn't taught what a bad word was and look at me. I turned out just great!" Emmett turned the corner, a huge grin on his face, his arms spread wide.

Bella rolled her eyes. "The jury's still out on that one," she muttered. "Okay, Edward, can we go now?" She was now in a hurry to escape the house and Emmett's verbal sparring.

"I think we have everything," Edward murmured to himself, scrutinizing all of the supplies he had strung throughout the kitchen.

Emmett shook his head. "You look like you're preparing for the apocalypse."

Edward ignored his brother and took the bowl his mother handed him. "What's in here?"

Esme grinned. "Brownies. For Bella and Ben."

No one missed the small shudder that rippled through Bella at the idea. She had not forgotten Esme's and Rosalie's first few baking attempts.

Esme put her hands on her hips. "Now, look. I've gotten to be a really good baker, especially for someone who can't taste it. Carlisle has told me that the nurses in the ER have actually been _requesting_ my brownies. I'm still working on the cookies, though," she muttered.

"Thanks, Esme," Edward said, and added the bowl to the bag of food. "All right, you two. Let's hit the road!"

Bella stared into the dense, green forest, trepidation written on her face. _Is he serious? Is he _trying_ to kill me? There are _much_ easier ways…_

Edward picked up the bundle of items he had brought and took a step into the thicket of ferns and branches before looking back. "Are you ready?"

Ben was bouncing on the balls of his feet, his baseball bat making a _thwack_ each time it hit the pavement. "C'mon, mommy! Let's go, let's go!"

"Seriously?" She stared at Edward, who, for all intents and purposes, looked as if he could give Survivorman a run for his money.

Edward sighed. "Of course I'm serious. It's not going to be as bad as you think. It's only about five miles or so."

Bella's eyes widened. "Five miles?" she screeched. "Edward, I can't walk five _steps_ without practically breaking my neck. And that's on solid flooring! What makes you think that I can manage to go five miles through the woods and live to tell the tale?" _Has he lost his mind?_

"Let's _go_," Ben begged, his enthusiasm evident from his twitching posture.

Edward was instantly at her side. "Bella, I'll be right there to help you. I promise, you'll be fine. I'll carry you if I need to."

His butterscotch eyes told her that her well-being was his primary concern and she suddenly felt contrite. Just this morning, she had promised herself that she would do whatever she could to keep him from worrying – to keep him lighthearted and content. She shook her head. "No, I-I'll be okay. I just panicked for a second. Let's go! Ben's ready to take flight if we don't get moving." She plastered on what she hoped was a convincing smile.

Edward stared into her eyes for a few seconds longer before walking back to the pavement's edge. "All right, Benjamin! Here we go." He took Ben's hand and the three of them headed into the dense forest. "Bella, don't suffer in silence. If you need help, let me know. I can't read your mind," he added ruefully.

"'Kay," she hollered, paying close attention to where she placed her feet. "What exactly are we doing out here anyway?"

Edward held a Spruce branch out of her way. "Well, it's a nice day and we all need to enjoy it before Old Man Winter makes his appearance, which Alice says will happen in two weeks. Plus, I made you a promise a while back that I'm going to make good on today."

Ben was tugging his hand out of Edward's. "I wanna walk by m'self. Please, Edward?" he begged.

Edward unclasped Ben's small hand and then enclosed Bella's. At her beginning protest, he interrupted her. "He'll be fine. I can head him off before he gets into any trouble. Plus, I think you need the help more than he does." He nodded at Ben, who was walking slowly and softly singing to himself. From what Bella could hear, it was a totally original song.

"He's enjoying himself," she said softly.

"Are you?"

She looked at him sardonically. "I'll enjoy myself more when we get to where we're going. I've never said I was a hiker."

Edward laughed out loud and the musical sound bouncing off of the trees sent a thrill through Bella.

"You're in a good mood today," she noted.

He smiled at her while keeping his eyes on Ben. "Yeah. It feels strange, actually, but…_good_. But for once, everything is working out like it should. I found you…and we have Ben. We're engaged. I finally have the family I've always dreamed of. Eric is gone. That monster in your life has been handled and will _never_ return. You and Ben are safe and I just feel…relaxed. Content."

She smiled back at him and then groaned when he caught her as she tripped over a tree branch. "Stupid limb," she muttered. "I'm so happy that you're happy. You deserve to be happy, Edward. God, that sounded like a bad chorus of a song," she laughed.

He squeezed her hand. "As long as I'm with you, that's all I need."

Bella was overcome with emotion and did not trust herself to speak, so they continued on in a comfortable silence with Ben walking a few steps ahead. Finally, when Bella did not think she could hike much farther, she noticed the dimness of the woods was getting a bit lighter. "Are we almost there?"

Edward nodded. "Yes, just through those trees there."

Ben ran ahead and Bella did not stop him. She did not know if there was any danger nearby, but she trusted Edward; she knew that if he had heard or smelled anything that would be dangerous to Ben, he would have stopped his sudden sprint – moreover, she knew that Edward was the most dangerous thing in the forest anyway. She heard a faint _whoopee_ and could not stop the grin that spread across her face.

Edward laughed softly.

Suddenly, Bella stepped through the final undergrowth of ferns and into the most beautiful meadow she had ever seen. It was perfectly round – almost as if it had been unnaturally made – and filled with soft, swaying grasses and wildflowers in a rainbow of colors. Above her, the sky was the perfect blue one rarely found on the Olympic Peninsula, with only a few large, puffy clouds in the sky. She gasped in surprise and pleasure. "Oh, Edward! It's beautiful." She turned around, reaching for his hand, but came up empty. He was nowhere to be found. "Edward?" she called.

"Right here," he replied, still hidden in the shadows of the forest.

"Why are you still standing there?" she asked, confused.

"Do you remember when you first figured out what I was? And you asked why my kind couldn't go out in the direct sunlight?"

She nodded, understanding dawning on her face. She glanced over her shoulder to check on Ben, who was swinging his bat at the butterflies. "Ben! Stop that! You're going to hurt the butterflies."

"Aw, mom! I tryin' to catch one!" He swung the bat again.

Bella was in a quandary. She wanted nothing more than to get to the heart of the matter on Edward and the sun, but she could not sit idly by and let her son decimate the butterfly population. "Hold that thought," she muttered to Edward, and then walked purposefully over to Ben, dodging out of the way of another swing. "Benjamin Andrew Swan! Put that bat down right now before you hit me!"

He dropped the bat, his eyes filling up with tears. "I sorry, mommy."

She dropped to her knees and pulled him into her arms. "I know, sweetheart. But I want you to listen to me very carefully. The only thing you can hit with your bat is a baseball, okay? You don't ever hit an animal, even a butterfly. Butterflies are too pretty to hurt."

"Whadda 'bout spiders? Can I squish spiders?" he asked, eyes wide.

She squeezed him tightly. "Yes, spiders and bugs are okay for you to squish. But not butterflies, all right? And you can chase them here, but you just _cannot_ touch them. You'll hurt them. Understand?"

Ben nodded solemnly. "I sorry. I didn' mean it."

Bella kissed the top of his head. "I know. Now, you go chase the butterflies or pick some flowers while I go talk to Edward, okay? And you can't leave the meadow, which means you do not go into the trees for any reason."

He nodded his understanding and took off, his pudgy legs running as fast as he could. Bella laughed quietly to herself and then turned back to the other man in her life, who was still standing, unmoving, in the tree line.

"So, sunlight. What about it?" she asked, her eyes burning with curiosity.

Edward hesitated. "Bella, I don't want you to be shocked, but there is a very good reason why we do not allow humans to see us in sunlight."

"Does it hurt? Edward, if it hurts, then don't do it."

He shook his head. "No, it doesn't hurt. I told you that was just a myth. But, it may shock you. Well, here goes…" And with that, he stepped out of the trees and ferns and into the meadow where the bright sunlight hit his white, marble skin from every direction.

Bella gasped. Edward in shadow was enchanting, breathtaking, but Edward in the sunlight was…magnificent, stunning – almost too dazzling for words. "Oh, Edward," Bella whispered. "You're…you're beautiful."

Edward _was_ simply beautiful; he was almost too beautiful to look at. His skin, while hard as stone to the touch, was currently glittering as if it was made not of granite, but of diamonds – billions of tiny diamond facets that now caught the light and glittered and bounced the colors of the light like a prism. Bella remembered when she once found a geode while on vacation with her mother during her nature phase and, at the time, had thought it the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She recalled how she would sit in her room and just turn the stone, watching the sunlight bounce off of the embedded crystals. The geode now paled in comparison to the living one in front of her.

"Are you all right?" he asked her softly.

Bella pulled herself out of her reverie to look into his face that was sparkling just as the rest of him. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

He smiled slightly. "Just wanted to check." Edward walked swiftly to where he wanted to make camp and set their picnic items down.

Bella followed silently and began spreading blankets out; however, she could not keep her eyes from this new discovery about Edward. "Why didn't you show me this before?"

Edward shrugged and then plopped down on the ground and stretched out, sighing in pleasure. "After we talked about it, all hell broke loose, and it was the farthest thing from my mind. Plus, this is the first sunny day we've had in the past 67 days."

"Oh." Bella was still somewhat speechless and so, silently sat down beside Edward. She reached for his hand, then drew her hand back before reaching for it again. "May I?" she finally asked. Normally, it was so easy for her to forget that her fiancé was a vampire and had a longing for her blood. Today, however, it was no trouble at all for her to remember exactly what he was.

"Of course." He laid his palm in her lap. "Ben, don't try to catch a bee. It'll sting you."

"'Kay," Ben replied, guilt evident in his voice.

Bella chuckled quietly. "Poor kid. He won't be able to get away with anything." She gently began stroking from his palm to the inside of his elbow, marveling at the kaleidoscope of lights that bounced off of his arm.

Edward sighed in pleasure. "You have no idea how wonderful that feels."

Bella stopped her massage and held his hand up to her face, attempting to see exactly _what_ was causing the sparkling in his skin. She turned his hand over, but to her human eyes, all she could see was the whiteness of his skin. She could not see the individual facets, although his hand continued to ricochet the rays from the sun. "What makes it sparkle?" she murmured.

"Carlisle thinks it's because when we're changed, our skin turns into a material very similar to diamonds – since diamonds are the hardest substance on Earth – which would explain our skin substructure," Edward replied quietly, his eyes still closed. "That's why basically nothing can penetrate our skin."

Suddenly, Bella let out a giggle that she quickly stifled with her hand.

Edward opened his eyes, thinking Ben had done something to warrant a laugh, but Bella was looking at him. "What?"

She shook her head, another laugh shaking her frame. "Nothing," she choked out.

Edward smiled. "Bella, what is so funny?"

Bella bit her lip, not wanting to disclose to him why she was laughing as he would possibly think she was insane for her inappropriate thought. "Just never mind."

"Are you laughing at me?"

She finally pulled her legs up and rested her forehead on her knees, hiding her face from Edward. She choked as another giggle threatened to erupt.

"Bella, you're going to give me a complex. Now what is so funny?" Edward asked, partly amused and partly serious. He was not accustomed to being the brunt of jokes.

Bella looked up at Edward, tears running down her face. "Okay, but you promise you won't get mad at me?"

"Of course not." His tone, however, said otherwise.

She giggled again before speaking. "Okay, I just had the thought that…at our reception…if it was sunny…you-you could tie a rope…in a tree…and hang onto it." She bit her lip again, her face burning hot.

"And…?"

"Over the dance floor, Edward! Get it?"

He looked at her blankly.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Y-you could be…the d-disco ball!" she shouted in laughter, lying down on the ground and holding her stomach.

Edward shook his head as Bella continued to giggle, tears pouring down her face. "Now I did _not_ expect this kind of reaction from you today. He could not help but laugh at the amusement she was having at his expense.

"I-I'm sorry, Edward," Bella replied breathlessly, wiping at her eyes. "I couldn't help it. It was just one of those random thoughts. Are you mad?"

He laughed softly. "Of course not. Anything that you can find that amusing, makes me happy."

"Whadd'ya laughin' at?" Ben asked, skipping over to them. He looked at Edward, sparkling in the sun, and tipped his head to the side. "Why're you all shiny, Edward?"

Edward smiled and pulled Ben into his lap. "It's part of my superhero powers," he whispered conspiratorially to Ben. "I use it to blind the bad guys."

"Ohhh," Ben whispered in awe. "Cool."

Bella snuggled up to Edward and was relieved when he put his arm around her. "I really am sorry, Edward." She nuzzled his neck and placed a soft kiss below his ear.

He kissed the top of her head and let Ben up, who was wriggling to go run. "It's okay, love. I understand that it's kind of shocking…even after all you've been through. But I'm _not_ going to be the dance lighting at our wedding reception, so you can forget that."

"Come on, Edward!" Ben begged, baseball bat in hand. "You promised."

"Okay, kid. I'm coming. "Edward kissed Bella softly. "I'm going to go pitch to Ben for a while. You can lay here and relax if you want."

She nodded and rolled over to her side to watch them play baseball. She was so blissful, so…free. Edward really loved her and he had proven that by agreeing to give her the most significant wedding present of all – immortality. By doing so, he had confirmed that he wanted her by his side forever and was willing to go past human lengths to do so.

Bella was curious, however, about the actual process. Edward had never been forthcoming about the mechanics of vampire creation and events had been so chaotic that she had never thought to ask one of the Cullens. She would need to do some research before the wedding. She believed in being prepared.

The wedding. Bella groaned at the thought. Alice had been ecstatic when Bella and Edward had given her permission to plan their nuptials and Bella could only pray that Alice would not take it too far. She only needed a simple ceremony to make it official. She would have been happy eloping to Vegas, but she also knew that would have broken Alice's and Esme's hearts. Not to mention Charlie's, even though he would never have admitted to it.

She watched Ben swinging the bat as hard as he could, and the few times he actually made contact with the ball, Edward instantly grabbed it in the air. Ben was so trusting with Edward – with all of the Cullens. And Charlie. He had finally received an extended family that was spoiling him rotten. Bella suddenly felt a lump in her throat at the thought of having to leave him after the wedding. _Can I do it? Can I leave him for that long? Am I doing the right thing?_

She groaned and flopped back onto the blanket, covering her eyes with her hands. She knew she had made all of the right decisions since arriving in Forks. It was just that human decisions were not meant to intersect with the supernatural world; but if she wanted to join Edward for eternity, then she would have to leave temporarily as she would not risk Ben's life.

_Maybe it won't be that bad. Maybe you'll get a grip pretty quickly and can come back in a couple of months._ She was not sure if her little pep talk would do her any good, but she tried. Because there were two things she was sure of.

Edward. Benjamin.

She could not live without either one.

She _would_ _not_ survive without them both.

Regardless of her decision, she would continue to be Ben's mother, vampire or human. And she refused to relinquish either Ben or Edward. She would have both.

But there was only one way she would be able to remain with Edward for eternity.

She would have to become her own monster.

**END**

**End Notes: Well? I'd love to hear what you thought. I know that many of you are probably staring at your screen, your mouths hanging open, like "what the hell?" and "why did she stop there? Bella is still human!" Well, I'm going to answer that right now.**

**When I started this story, I had a specific plot that I wanted to write, which was the 'Bella running from Eric and finding Edward, Edward and Bella fall in love, Eric finds Bella, and Edward saves the day.' That is the story I wrote in Deliver Me From Evil. Of course, when you keep the Cullens as vampires, you still have to address the plot line of changing Bella vs. keeping her human. Once my plot was resolved, I chose to complete the story, instead of changing my mind and writing another 25 chapters of DMFE. I don't like reading stories like that and I did not think I could write a story like that.**


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